Shattering Silence
by SphinxScribe
Summary: Sequel to Breaking Boundaries, AU, post-ROTJ: After the New Republic uncovers a dangerous scandal, and an assassination attempt follows, Leia and Luke enlist the help of their parents to find the assassin and to expose a plot that lies at the core of the New Republic.
1. An Explosive Dinner Party

_Hello all, this is SphinxScribe! If you have not read Breaking Boundaries (which I would recommend going to read beforehand, but is not _completely_ necessary), or perhaps need a refresher, here's the background information: Anakin was rescued by Luke from the Death Star, and had his injuries repaired by the Force. Padmé was recovered from carbonite and the couple are now living together on Coruscant with their four-year-old son Jinn. Leia and Han are engaged. Shattering Silence takes place about two years after Breaking Boundaries. Hope you all enjoy! Reviews are loved!_

Chapter One: An Explosive Dinner Party

"I can't believe you're really dragging me here," Han murmured out of the side of his mouth to Leia as they waited outside the Coruscanti reception apartment for a butler to receive them. "Where's Luke when you need him?"

Leia turned to look at him, noting the way he was straightening his vest. It was one of the few times she had ever seen him this dressed up, and he looked quite handsome. Still a bit rugged –and perhaps a bit scruffy, although she would never tell him that– but really quite handsome. "You'll be fine," Leia said to him, amusement on her lips. "It's only a dinner party, and they know you're my fiancé. You'll be welcomed."

Han did not seem to find her words comforting. "This is a politicians' dinner," he said, adjusting his hold on her arm. "I don't think I'll ever feel at home."

"You'll have to get used to these once we're married," Leia told him in warning, although her smile did not die. "They'll be plenty of Council dinners in the future."

After a beat of silence, Han replied casually, "Who says I won't be home with the kids?"

Leia looked up abruptly at him, the smile fading from her face in surprise. It was the first time he had ever mentioned having children together. Han, however, did not seem to have been caught off guard; he had spoken as if was the most natural thing in the world. She replied quietly, "Do you want to have kids?"

Just then, the grand door to the reception apartments swung open, and a male Twi'lek stepped out, dressed in traditional robes. Although a bit disappointed that her question had not been answered, Leia turned her attention to the butler and put on a gracious smile.

"Welcome, Senator Organa and General Solo," the Twi'lek said fondly as he stepped aside to allow them into the foyer. "May I take your outerwear?"

As the Twi'lek helped her remove her shawl, Leia looked around the room, taking in the elegant foyer. It was large and grand, with white columns around them and crystal chandeliers above them. Soft white light was everywhere, sparkling off of a tray of wine glasses to her right, shining off of the tinkling crystals above them, and glittering off of Leia's silver gown. All in all, it was very impressive. Leia glanced over at Han, who was looking around the room in awe, seeming less-than-comfortable as the Twi'lek proceeded to take his coat.

He leaned over to Leia, his eyes still fixed on the chandelier as if it was about to attack them. "How long are the dinner courses, exactly?" he murmured in her ear worriedly.

Leia did not have to answer Han's worried inquiry, however, because the Twi'lek announced warmly, "Chancellor Mothma and the other senators are waiting in the adjoining chambers. They are ready to receive you."

Leia smiled graciously at the Twi'lek, and took Han firmly by the arm. Han was as clueless as a Gungan, and looked desperately lost. They moved to the left, where a large white arch marked the entrance to the reception room.

At their entrance, the members of the dinner party stood up from their chairs and moved to receive Leia and Han. Mon Mothma was at the forefront of the group, and she greeted them warmly. They were, after all, good friends, and had remained in a friendly relationship even though Mothma was now Chancellor of the New Republic. Each proceeded to also welcome Han, who, much to Leia's relief, seem to warm up to them.

As they came to greet them, Leia noted that all members of the dinner party had already arrived. The invitees were the members of the Provisional Council, the first Inner Council of the New Republic, of which she was also a member. Their greetings were all warm; she had grown close to the other members of the council over the past five years since the Republic's formation. There were eight of them in total, and they were all very much alike in their politics and mannerisms. Many of these members Leia had known for even longer than the five years since the Council had been established; many, such as Admiral Ackbar and Mon Mothma, she had known through her work with the Alliance.

Mothma soon after suggested they sit down to dine. That being said, the members of the party moved to enter the adjoining dining room, a large and spacious area with a long and elegant dining table. The table was set with a white cloth, and shining utensils glistened beside pristine platters. Small light fixtures hung over the table and on the walls, bathing the room in bright and cheery light.

The party was seated, and soon dinner and conversation progressed as normal. Leia balanced her attention between listening to the politics and observing Han's body language to make sure he was beginning to feel comfortable among whom Leia considered to her some of her closest friends. She was half afraid he would not be able to enjoy himself at the dinner, especially among all the political talk, but she soon saw he had made fast friends with Doman Beruss, a close friend of Leia's who was also from Corellia. Soon, she was glad to see his smile, and began to relax herself.

"It is a scandal," the Bothan Borsk Fey'Lya was saying to the table shortly after dessert had been served. "After all these years, the New Republic has been trading with a planet that still smuggles slaves."

"The Republic is not to blame," Mon Mothma replied in her soft but stern voice. "Antal 4 hid their slavery well, and we did not know until late that such a peaceful planet has been deceptive."

"I must compliment you, Chancellor, on your handling of the situation," replied Admiral Ackbar. "With this new bill, many other planets will think twice about keeping slaves."

"Or perhaps will try harder to hide them," Mothma returned. "Now that trade has stopped with Antal 4, it will be very damaging to their economy."

"Is really true, Chancellor, that there is an opposition to this bill?" inquired Elomin Indriummesegh, stroking the horns on his head. "Such an opposition might be considered immoral…"

Leia's attention faded off, and she found her mind drifting away. Oftentimes, the political talk bored even her. The new bill the Republic was passing was very controversial, and Leia had already listened to both sides thoroughly.

As she glanced up from her plate, she saw that Han was smirking at her from across the table. Realizing that he knew she was not paying attention, she blushed, and his knowing smirk widened. He looked away from her, turning so it appeared his attention was towards the head of the table, where Mothma was continuing their conversation.

Suddenly, Leia felt something prodding her feet underneath the table. Not able to see what it was because of the long tablecloth, but assuming Han was responsible because of his silent and innocent smirk, she shot him a sharp glance. They weren't about to play _footsie_ at a Council dinner!

Han pretended not to see, making Leia all the more peeved. She was frustrated not because his attention bothered her, but because she was slightly enjoying it. She moved her feet out of the way, and struggled to maintain a senatorial façade while a guilty smile slowly and defiantly crept over her features. Han could always make her smile, even when she wasn't supposed to or it wasn't appropriate. She supposed that was what she loved about him, his genuine signs of affection. He had even chosen to come to a boring political dinner with her, all because he loved her. Leia's smile softened, becoming shyer. With their wedding in only eight months, there was much to look forward to.

Just as her smile had died and she had returned her attention back to Mothma, however, the unexpected happened. The whole room exploded.


	2. Politics of Communication

_Warning: slight sexual content_

Chapter Two: Politics of Communication

_That same night, elsewhere on Coruscant~_

"I wonder how our children are doing," Padmé said absentmindedly as she sat down at her vanity and began to take off her earrings. She and Anakin had been out that night for dinner, and had just returned to their apartment.

"Any one in particular?" Anakin asked her. He entered their bedroom, pulling his shirt hem out from his pants. He had already removed his boots, and was getting ready for bed.

Padmé turned to look at him. "Did you check on Jinn?"

Anakin nodded. "Fast asleep," he replied, rubbing his head sleepily.

Padmé turned back around to her mirror, content that their youngest had not woken up. "Luke and Leia," Padmé said in reply to his question. She set her earrings down on her vanity and began to take down the hairpins in her bun.

"Leia said she had some sort of dinner tonight," Anakin replied.

"I assume she took Han?"

"She said she was planning to."

"And Luke?"

"In his apartment," Anakin replied, frowning, as he worked to remove his shirt. "Did you hear, Leia said he was courting some girl… Sira? Silla? Sybll?"

"Briar."

Padmé could feel Anakin's eyes on her as she set down the last hairpin and began to work on her necklace. She knew that Anakin did not approve of Briar, and could sense his displeasure at hearing her mentioned.

"He's growing up, Ani, he can make his own choices," Padmé reminded him gently. She struggled to open the clasp on her necklace, watching Anakin lounging on the bed through the mirror. He was shirtless, and looked quite handsome.

Anakin rose from the bed and approached her, seeing that she needed help. He reached for the clasp on the necklace and gently worked to undo it. "You know I don't approve."

"You only met her briefly," Padmé said gently. "I don't really approve of her either, but the least we can do is be civil." As Anakin removed her necklace, she gave him a peck on the cheek and stood. She undid the zipper on her gown and stepped out of the gown, vaguely aware of Anakin's eyes on her. "It'll be nice if he finally settles down. The war really made him age beyond his years," she said sadly. "It would be nice to have grandchildren."

Anakin, though she could not see him, sounded astonished. "We're not that old."

Padmé laughed at Anakin's incredulity. She could imagine very well the look of indignation on his face. As she hung up her gown, she felt him approach from behind and wrap his arms around her, his face affectionately nuzzling her neck. "Eventually it would be nice," she said.

"Mmm," he replied. "But we're barely done ourselves."

Padmé laughed. "I would say we're about done having babies, wouldn't you?" They were both burned out with one child, and neither of them could expect starting over with a fourth.

She could feel the rumble of a soft laugh in his chest, and he began to place kisses on her neck, his arms wrapped around her belly. He felt warm and comfortable against her, as he always did.

Padmé turned to face him and wrapped her arms around his neck. Soon his warm lips to moved from her neck to her lips.

The war really had aged their children, Luke and Leia in particular; Padmé saw that now. A part of her even wondered what life might have been like if things hadn't happened the way they had. Was it better now that their children were mature and experienced, or would it have been better to let them stay innocent for longer? It made her ponder over what kind of world they would raise Jinn in. Even though the galaxy had settled down, for the most part, and the skirmishes had lessened, scandals and corruption was still present.

"Leia was saying that the Senate has a new scandal," Padmé said to Anakin as she broke off their kiss. It had been something in her mind for a long time now, ever since she had first heard the story. He, however, hardly seemed to be listening as he began to trail kisses along her jaw, drawing her closer to him by tightening his arms around her. "The Republic has discovered that one of Antal's moons, Antal 4, has been participating in slave labor, all to mine magnetite and other riches. She said one knew anything until recently, and now the opposing party is accusing Mothma of corruption by participating in the whole affair."

"Mmm," was the only reply. Anakin's lips did not leave her neck, as the kisses grew longer and more heated. She was only faintly conscious of his hands roaming around her body, skimming from her lower back to the backs of her arms.

"I mean, how twisted can these people get?" Padmé continued as Anakin gently led her to bed, his lips never leaving her body. "Leia says Mothma's proposing a new bill that outlaws trade with any planet that uses slave labor. I, for one, support the bill – as do most of the members of the Provisional Council, according to Leia – and I suppose it's a small step to outlawing slavery, but if there weren't so many corrupt people in the galaxy, slavery would be already outlawed for good."

Padmé felt her back sink into their bed, and the bed groaned underneath both their weight. "And even now," she continued, growing more passionate in her words as Anakin leaned over her, continuing to devour her neck and breastbone. "There are still planets opposing the bill! If that doesn't condemn a free galaxy, I don't know what does! I just wonder what the world will be like as Jinn grows up. It's already so unsettled; we really can't predict anything!"

Anakin's kisses came to a slow halt, as he seemed to sense her frustration. He looked down into her eyes and frowned, as if perturbed that she was not giving in to his lovemaking. "This is really bothering you."

"Well, yes," she returned.

Anakin slid off of her, and lay on his side with his head propped up by a hand. He was frowning in thought. "Have you reconsidered returning to politics?"

Padmé's eyes softened. She appreciated his words, but already had a reply. "Ani, we've already discussed this. We should be present for Jinn."

"He already has me," Anakin returned. "One parent going back to work isn't bad at all."

Padmé reached over and brushed one of Anakin's curls from his face. She felt her heart stirring at his selfless offer. "I would be away from you and Jinn too much," she answered back honestly. "I would have to make trips to Naboo."

"Mmm," was the thoughtful reply, and, after a beat of silence, Anakin rolled to his back, staring up at the ceiling with his hands behind his head.

Padmé frowned. Now that their conversation was over, she was suddenly feeling cold now that he wasn't near her, and was missing his warmth already. "Why did you stop?"

He looked at her in surprise. "Stop what?"

"Kissing me."

"You seemed upset," he answered honestly. "I didn't think you wanted to continue."

Padmé smiled. "Well…" she ventured suggestively.

Anakin's eyebrows rose in amusement. "You _do_ want to continue?"

"Mmm," she returned, scooting over to him and sliding onto his bare chest. His abs were firm beneath her. "Maybe," she said, and met his lips.

As their kiss became more passionate, and Anakin's hands lifted to touch the sides of her face, he used the Force to extinguish the light in their bedroom, and the partners settled down for another night.

They didn't know what surprise they would receive in the morning.


	3. Peace Shatters

Chapter Three: Peace Shatters

It was about 0600 hours when Anakin felt a familiar thump on their bed, followed shortly by a series of smaller bumps that seemed to grow closer and closer…

"Morning, Daddy!" called the bright voice of his son near his ear. "Morning, Mommy!"

Ah, well, he was going to get up soon anyway. Anakin rolled onto his back, hoping that Padmé had managed to put clothes back on before Jinn had entered; the night before had not exactly been anything but adult-rated. As he opened his eyes, he was greeted by the enthusiastic smile of his four-year-old, Jinn. "Morning, Jinn," he returned, rubbing the sleepiness from his eyes.

Beside him, he could feel Padmé moving, and soon she had turned onto her back as well. "Morning, sweetheart," she said to Jinn, tucking a curl behind his ear as she did so frequently to Anakin. Jinn had inherited his blond curls, but had the soft brown eyes of his mother, the eyes Anakin loved so much.

"Did you get dressed by yourself?" Anakin asked him.

Jinn nodded enthusiastically. "I picked out these pants, and this top," he said, pointing each article in succession. "Then put this around my waist," he said, pointing to the strip of fabric around his waist. "Just like you, Daddy!"

"Well, Padmé," Anakin said, turning to his wife with the intention of Jinn overhearing. "Our little boy's not so little anymore."

Encouraged, Jinn began to bounce on the bed, his voice steadily rising in volume. "And I drew Sabé a picture, and I began construction on my own lightsaber!"

Padmé blanched. "Anakin?" she said, her head turning in surprise.

"A lightsaber?" Anakin echoed, slightly alarmed. "How are you planning on doing that?'

Jinn reached into the strip of fabric around his waist and pulled out an empty toilet paper roll. It had distinct markings on it, as if it had been drawn on with a black marker.

Anakin and Padmé relaxed visibly.

"This is my model," he told them, turning the roll in his hands reverently. Then, lifting his head, he fixed them with an intensely serious stare. "But I'm really planning on taking apart the spare droid in my bedroom."

They both chorused in alarm: "What droid?"

Just as Jinn was about to answer, the distinct beeping of a comlink startled them. After a moment of silent confusion, Anakin and Padmé looked at one another and frowned. Who could be calling them at this hour?

"It's yours," Padmé told him, placing a small kiss on his temple.

With a small groan, Anakin sat up and swung his legs over the side of the bed. His comm was across the room, in his trousers, which had been flung there sometime over the course of last night. As he rummaged through the trouser pockets, searching for the device, Padmé rose from their bed, clothed –thankfully– in her nightgown, and left the room with Jinn in tow, most likely to have breakfast.

When Anakin finally located the device, he frowned as he activated it. "Yes," he said into the mouthpiece, perhaps more guarded than usual.

"Father?" came a familiar voice.

"Luke?" Anakin asked in surprise. His son rarely called them at this time of day, and Anakin doubted Luke was up this early for a friendly conversation.

For one reason or another, as Anakin listened for Luke's reply, the words began to break up, no doubt an issue with the comm frequency. "Father, there's been… accident. We… east… Leia's been-"

Anakin shook his head, silently frustrated at the poor signal. "Luke, you're breaking up," he returned patiently. He was unsure if Luke could hear him on the other side, but the line had almost completely broken up on his side. With a sigh of annoyance, he left his and Padmé's bedroom, hoping the signal was better outside.

Just as he rounded the corner, heading towards the veranda, and was about to try to disconnect and re-call Luke, he felt a sudden hand on his arm. He turned to see Padmé standing there, looking paler than Anakin had ever seen her, with a datareader in her hands.

"Ani," she said, and thrust the shaking datareader into Anakin's hands. "Look."

Anakin looked down at the datareader screen in confusion, and saw that the screen was opened to the morning news. Flashing on the screen were the words: _Huge Explosion at Provisional Council Dinner, Many Influential Members of Senate Injured. _

"This is…" Anakin started to say in confusion, frowning. "This is…" Suddenly, a horrible realization spread through him. Hadn't Leia only told him yesterday that she was attending the Provisional Council Dinner? This must have been the reason for Luke's unusual call. Instantly, his heart dropped in his chest.

Beside him, Padmé seemed to realize the same thing. Her breath caught, and a hand rose to her mouth. She began to hyperventilate.

"Holy Force!" she cried. "Leia was at that dinner!"

Scarcely daring to breathe, Anakin opened the article and hastily scanned the story, his eyes moving over the lines feverishly. The article mentioned the location of the dinner, the unknown cause of the explosion, which apparently blew off a huge side of the building… Anakin skimmed the article until he came to the section where it mentioned the injured. He read aloud breathlessly: "…Including several influential members of the Senate: Mon Mothma… Sian Tevv… Leia Organa…" His heart stopped, and his mind seemed to stall at seeing her name. No, no, it must have been a mistake.

"Injured!" Padmé breathed, most likely to comfort herself as much as Anakin, who could barely register her voice. She clutched his arm, reading the datareader in his hands. "…Being held in the Blue Rim Coruscanti Medical Center." She let out a shaky breath, turning to Anakin. "We have to go. Now."

They both left in tense silence, leaving a visibly upset Jinn in the capable hands of Sabé, and flew off in a speeder, heading towards the familiar medical center.

The entire way, Anakin's mind could barely keep up with his surroundings, so driven he was with worry. He vaguely knew that Padmé was beside him, struggling with tears, but he was so ripped apart by his own thoughts that he felt frozen. If Leia was badly injured or dead, he didn't know how their family would cope. It was impossible for this to be happening. It was some sort of mistake, or misprint, or maybe she and Han had left the dinner early. It couldn't be true. He would have sensed it if she had been injured, wouldn't he have?

When the speeder had been parked, Anakin and Padmé set out in haste for the medcenter entrance. Upon entering, they pushed through a large crowd of holocameras and eventually made it up the turbolift and into the ward where they knew Leia was being held, weaving down seemingly infinite whitewashed hallways. They all looked the same, and none seemed to lead where they wished to go.

As they made it down the final hallway, Anakin and Padmé caught a glimpse of a group of people standing towards the far end, two clothed in white robes, and the third in familiar black pants and shirt. Anakin immediately recognized Luke, and so did Padmé, who let out a small gasp of relief. They hastened over to their son, as if he was their lifeline, and Luke immediately noticed them and met them halfway.

"They're okay, they're okay!" he soothed hastily, apparently noticing the tortured expressions on their faces. His blue eyes were wide, and he held his hands out to soothe them. "Leia and Han aren't injured."

Padmé let out a shaky breath and a sob, and threw her arms around Luke. Her shoulders trembled with the release of stress in her son's embrace.

Finding that he was weak with relief and that his whole body trembled beneath him, Anakin put his back against the whitewashed wall and slid down to the floor, covering his face and pinching his nose with his hands. It was when he had finally been relieved of his stress that he found his breath was becoming ragged. He struggled to calm himself. He needed to be supportive for Padmé, and there was no use being over reactive now that they knew nothing was wrong.

"Father?"

Anakin looked up to see Luke standing above him, concern on his face. "I'm okay," Anakin said softly, his heart calming at the sight of his son. "Your sister gave your mother and I quite a scare."

"I'm sorry," Luke said apologetically, sitting beside Anakin. "I tried to reach you, but for some reason the frequency wasn't working."

"All the interference from the explosion…" Anakin said, pinching the bridge of his nose. They stood, and Anakin suddenly felt a deep, protective need to embrace him, almost as if to make sure Luke was okay as well. Although he could tell Luke was surprised at the sudden physical touch, he also sensed his contentment. "Don't ever do that to us," Anakin said in a low voice.

"No, Father," Luke answered.

Anakin released his son, and rubbed the corners of his eyes with one hand. The emotional rollercoaster had not quite left him yet, and he was still recovering from relief. Seeing that Padmé had already gone in to what Anakin assumed was the hospital room where Leia and Han were, he said to Luke, "Show me where your sister is."


	4. Embrace of a Family

Chapter Four: Embrace of a Family

Luke led his father in the first door, and they entered into the whitewashed hospital room. It had two beds inside, both pushed to the left wall, and a divider between the beds, although the divider was currently pulled back to allow the patients on both beds to converse. Across from the beds, on the right wall, was a large screen where the holonews was on, set to the channel that was reporting the recent explosion.

Leia and Han were both where he had left them, both sitting up, wearing hospital gowns, and conversing. Luke was relieved that Han had stopped complaining about the hospital food with Padmé and Anakin now in the room; his parents were already shaken up as it was, and Luke doubted an inconsequential complaint from Han would make them happy.

Luke felt slightly guilty that his call had not been able to go through that morning; he could have saved his parents from a great deal of stress. He was upset by how worried they had become; it was only a testament to how much he realized they had come to love him, Leia, and Han over the past few years. Luke had been especially unnerved by the paleness of his father, who had looked as if he would faint. Anakin had even proceeded to give Luke a hug, another testimony to how unsettled he had been; Luke knew his father rarely showed affection through physical touch, except perhaps to Luke's mother, and so it had been surprising for Luke to see him react in that way.

Luke watched his father rejoin his mother and put his arm around her. Padmé leaned into Anakin, and both returned their attention to Leia, who was already relating the story to Padmé.

"…We didn't know where the explosion came from," Leia was saying. "But Han and I managed to take cover underneath the table, and we left the reception apartments very quickly soon afterward. The other members of the dinner party followed closely behind us."

"Was anyone badly injured?" Padmé asked her, Padmé's eyebrows furrowed in concern.

Leia shook her head. "We haven't been told the extent of the other's injuries. The explosion occurred from the opposite side of the room, so we were lucky. We've heard that no one was badly injured."

"What was the cause?" Anakin asked her, his eyes fixed on the holonews, which was showing a shot of the building. Part of the building's side was missing, and most of the area around the top floor was charred.

Leia looked at him, apparently noting a solemnness and seriousness of his features that was actually quite unnerving. It even reminded Luke at times of Darth Vader; even though his father was redeemed, there were still traits that both of them shared. "It's unknown," she said. "Officials mentioned it was a gas leak…"

"It wasn't a gas leak," Anakin said abruptly.

Leia looked at him in curiosity, and Han voiced his confusion from the other bed.

"What do you mean it wasn't a gas leak?" he called over.

Anakin glanced towards Han, as if just noticing his presence in the room, and answered, "A blow like that wouldn't be from a gas leak."

Padmé looked from the holonews to him in confusion. "What, was it too big?"

"Too small," Anakin replied, nodding towards the news. "But it was made to look like a gas leak."

"What do you mean 'made to look like a gas leak'?" Padmé asked him.

"It was a poorly executed assassination attempt."

"What?" Luke and Leia said in surprise, but both were drowned out by Han's long and drawling response.

"Look, I know that this is a big mistake. There's always a tendency to blow things out of proportion-"

Anakin was apparently not in the mood to take Han's patronizing tone. He cut across him impatiently. "Solo, I know a mechanical mishap if I see one, and I've witnessed plenty of assassinations executed in my time. I assure you, as unlikely or likely as it seems, this explosion was not caused by a gas leak."

All were stunned into silence.

Anakin exhaled, as if frustrated that others did not see what he was pointing out. "This was a bomb that was meant to be inserted into the window of the dinner party. Apparently, the bomb misfired before it reached its destination, and instead blew out a portion of the floor below. The only question now is why someone was staging an assassination, and if the assassin himself is still alive after the blow."

"How would you be able to tell?" Han asked him suspiciously.

Anakin pursed his lips. "They'll find remains, I suppose."

"No," Han amended, shaking his head and seeming disgusted by the reply. "How would one be able to tell that the explosion was a bomb and not a gas leak?"

"Different materials and elements will be found in the rubble," was the reply.

"But why would anyone want to assassinate members of the Provisional Council?" Leia pointed out from her bed. "Granted, Mon Mothma _is_ the Chancellor, but for the most part the Republic has received her well."

"Imperial sympathizers?" Luke suggested.

"No," Padmé said suddenly. As all directed their attention towards her, she turned to Anakin and continued, "Ani, what you and I were discussing last night."

Anakin's expression was, for one reason or another, blank and confused. His frown deepened, and he looked extremely uncomfortable, possibly more so than Luke had ever seen him. "We weren't… we didn't-"

Padmé blushed deep red. "Before that." As Anakin began to dawn in recognition, Padmé turned to Leia, apparently wishing to redirect the conversation. "Leia, you mentioned that many members of the Provisional Council support the new bill against trading with slavery planets, but that the bill has many who oppose it."

"Yes," began Leia, still seeming confused at their parent's strange behavior, "But the bill will be voted on in the Senate." She didn't quite understand what her mother was suggesting; why would someone want to assassinate a member of the Provisional Council over an anti-slavery bill when they could just cast a vote? It would make more sense to argue over it in the Senate, where people have the power to change it.

"Apparently there are those who have stronger feelings," Luke pointed out gravely. "An assassination states a much bigger threat than a vote in the Senate."

"Clearly someone has an agenda," Padmé agreed with Luke.

Leia looked uncomfortable and worried, glancing from Luke to their mother.

"You don't think," started Han, as if something was dawning on him. "You don't think they'll be targeting Leia next, do you?"

There was a small silence as all family members looked at one another uneasily. Finally, Padmé was the one to answer.

"If it's related to the bill," she said softly, "I'd expect they will be targeting all of its writers and strong sympathizers."

"Most likely, if the assassin is working for a higher power, there'll be funding for another attempt," Anakin agreed grimly, his arms folding tightly against his chest.

Luke frowned in thought, the news seeming more serious than ever. It worried him, knowing that his sister was potentially in danger. There was another silence, each weighing the gravity of the situation.

"We'll have to get you somewhere safe," Luke said to her quietly, after the pause stretched on.

"You're not staying here," Han agreed with Luke.

Leia looked affronted. "I can't leave now," she said, her forehead wrinkled in concern, and she glanced from one family member to another, as if looking for someone to chime in with her. Her voice steadily raised in volume when none spoke up. "The bill's about to be presented to the Senate; leaving would be like giving up! Luke-"

Anakin's voice met her increasing volume, cutting her off. "Your safety is first priority," he said, his tone firm and strict. "Politics comes second. At least until we can clear up this confusion."

Leia seemed to know that it was the final word, because she sank back against the pillows.

In the silence that followed, Padmé was the first to speak up, directing her words to Anakin. "Ani, she could come with us."

Anakin met Padmé's gaze. "What do you mean?"

"Few people know we are related to Leia; few know that you and I are still alive," Padmé said, her voice slowly growing in enthusiasm. "We're already living under a false name; no one would suspect we were hiding her. That way, she could still stay on Coruscant."

Silence met her words, as all were deep in thought, and Padmé continued, "We could stage Leia's departure from the planet. No one will know if she secretly returns to our apartment. No one could trace this to us. She could be perfectly safe."

Anakin glanced towards Leia and Han, as if to gauge their reaction. Both seemed surprisingly accepting, and no one voiced any protests.

"I know this isn't an ideal situation," Padmé continued. "But what else can we do?"

Luke considered his mother's suggestion. It was cleverly devised: a deception and an unsuspected hiding place. Padmé had considered all of the benefits: it was true that it would be hard to trace back to them; no one knew Anakin and Padmé's true identities or of their relationship with Leia, Han, or him. Even so, Luke felt uncomfortable knowing that he could not be with his sister or see her at all for who knew how long. Finally, Han voiced what they were both thinking.

"I would prefer to stay with her," Han finally said, startling all in the room with his sudden words.

Padmé glanced at Anakin, and the two shared a silent conversation, as if considering Han's words. Finally, after Anakin's nod of resignation, and Padmé turned to Han and Luke. "We have room for all of you."

Han and Luke glanced at Leia, who looked resigned. She gave them a look as if to say, _what choice do we have? _Even she seemed to prefer the idea of staying with family and on Coruscant than completely fleeing the planet.

Finally, noting Leia's assent, Han turned to Padmé. He gave her a grim, lopsided smile. "You got yourself a deal."


	5. Settling In

Chapter Five: Settling In

The next morning, a decoy was sent out, and the holonews announced the departure of Princess Leia Organa of Alderaan from Coruscant and discussed the political implications of her trip to Corellia. That same day, an apartment building about five kilometers from the Senate received three new, cloaked visitors, each carrying travel suitcases. No one questioned the newcomers, only noticed that they must have come far and wide to have such worn travel clothes and such old luggage. The visitors were quickly forgotten.

* * *

"I tried to clean up a bit before you arrived," Padmé informed Han, Leia, and Luke apologetically as they entered through the main foyer. The entire entrance hallway seemed grand to Leia as they stepped in; its tall pillars and long cream-colored curtains, which had been gathered with large strips of velvet, gave the area a tall and elegant feel characteristic of higher-class society.

Leia surveyed the area around her as they entered; she had only been to her parents' apartment a few times before, and had rarely had the opportunity to stay and admire this section of the house. A few paces before her, the foyer stairs led down to the large and spacious veranda. The veranda, which provided a breathtaking view over the city of Coruscant, had a minimal amount of furniture –only two couches which faced one another, and a bubbling fountain in between– but had elegant lighting fixtures that lit up the area beautifully, especially at night.

The first time she had visited her parents' apartment, she had been very impressed by its elegance and wealth. Now, however, it only made sense. Although her parents rarely discussed money, Leia did not doubt they were well off, assuming that Padmé's money from her senatorial work and Anakin's wealth as Darth Vader had held over. Combined, Leia supposed neither of her parents would have to work another single day in their lives, and their house surely showed it.

Padmé led them down the stairs from the foyer to the veranda, where they turned left. Another flight of stairs, longer and curving, led up from the veranda up to an area that was blocked from Leia's sight.

"Let me show you where you will be staying," she told them over her shoulder, leading them onto the ascending stairs.

As they continued in silence, Luke asked Padmé, "Where are Father and Jinn?"

Gathering her robes with one hand to better climb the stairs, Padmé answered, "Your father is studying the holonews, trying to study the details of the explosion, and Jinn is with him –or at least that's where I left him. He's been known to wander off, but Anakin usually keeps a good eye on him." She paused for a moment, and then looked at them and continued with a smile, "I'll have to let them know you're all here. They'll both be pleased to hear it."

Leia smiled politely in response, reminding herself that she had to hide the part of her that was disappointed that she was going into hiding. She sighed inwardly. Although she was partly annoyed at being cut off from the Senate, she knew she should be grateful; her parents had offered her much: an opportunity to stay on Coruscant and to be near all the action, and also a place that she could be safe. After all, Han and Luke would not want it any other way.

Leia glanced sideways at Han as they climbed onto the landing. He was watching her closely, a solemn look on his face. It was strange to see it there; Han was rarely solemn, but it told Leia that he was taking the situation very seriously. She knew he was watching her to make sure she was too.

The landing above was essentially a short hallway. To the right side, a wide and spacious balcony stretched out over the veranda below, and to the left were three small doors, each to what Leia assumed were bedrooms or freshers. At the far end of the hallway, there was another staircase, this one spiraling downward.

Padmé led them to the first door and turned the knob. "This is the first bedroom," she said, leading them in.

As they filed in, Leia quickly observed that the room was very spacious and quite beautifully decorated, at least according to her own refined tastes. It had a large, queen-size bed with a draping canopy, across from which was a delicately carved vanity and mirror. Sitting on the rear wall of the room was a large sunlit window, underneath of which rested a small assortment of ornate couches and decorative tables. Light filled the space, making it inviting and comfortable.

"The other bedroom is very similar," Padmé informed them. "Except it has twin beds instead of a single queen."

"It's beautiful, thank you, Mother," Leia replied graciously.

Padmé smiled in response. She seemed to be pleased that they were finding it to their tastes. "I'll leave you to sort out your sleeping arrangements," she told them, heading out of the room. "But first you should know that the second door here leads to the fresher."

Seeing that Padmé wanted to show them that room was well, Leia followed her out of the room and into the fresher next door.

The fresher, like the bedroom, was large and spacious. Plenty of light filtered through the large windows near the ceiling, lighting up the white tile floors and shining off the golden mirrors and light fixtures. At the end of the room was a large bathing tub and a rack of large towels.

"Please feel free to spread your things out," Padmé told them as they surveyed the fresher, leaving the door open as she stepped out. She looked to Han, Leia, and Luke in turn, conveying her graciousness and welcoming nature. "Please make yourselves feel at home. You can call either me or Sabé if you need anything." She smiled warmly. "I'll leave you all to get settled in and I'll go tell Anakin that you've arrived. We'll serve lunch in an hour or so."

Leia and the others thanked her again, and Padmé left them. When they were alone once more, Han finally spoke.

"Nice place your parents got here," he commented casually, his hands set on his hips as he surveyed the area with admiration.

Luke and Leia looked at him, studying him to see if his words had a double meaning, as they sometimes did.

Han noticed their suspicious gazes and shrugged indignantly. "What?" he exclaimed innocently. "Just commenting."

Luke just sighed in annoyance and changed the subject. "How are we going to figure out the sleeping arrangements?"

Han cleared his throat in the long pause that followed. "Well, Leia and I have agreed to take the queen-"

"Excuse me?" Leia tried to interrupt.

"We usually get along very well in bed-"

"_Han_!"

He looked at her in surprise. "What?"

Horrified that Han would have suggested that in front of Luke, Leia hissed back, "I have _not_ agreed to do so."

"What's wrong with it?"

"What's wrong with it? I'm not comfortable with that idea!"

Han looked extremely confused. "It's not like we _haven't_-"

"Han!"

"It's the same concept! It's not like we haven't-"

Luke cleared his throat loudly. "I'm right here." They both looked to him, and saw that he was staring nonchalantly off down the hallway, rocking on the balls of his feet, his arms folded across his chest, as if he were trying to block out the conversation. "And if it's of any value, I don't think Mother or Father would approve."

Leia turned to Han. "He has a point," she said.

Han rolled his eyes, and Leia knew somewhere in his head he was grumbling about the traditionalist values of the entire household.

"Okay," Luke said, interrupting what had grown to be another awkward pause. "It's settled then. Han and I will take the twins, and Leia will take the queen."

It sounded reasonable, and Leia could not help but feel happy at the accommodations. The idea of having her own room was soothing and relaxing, especially because she had been around so many people and holocameras for the past few days. And although a part of her felt bad that Han and Luke had to share, the reassurance that they got along so well made Leia feel less guilty.

After a murmur of assent, Luke turned and headed for the second bedroom, followed closely by Han, who gave Leia a cheeky wink before he disappeared. It was only then that she realized Han had been teasing her the entire time. She felt a rush of annoyance and amusement as she entered her own room. Han could certainly be a tease; because he knew that she was in love with him, he teased her all the more. Leia smiled to herself. Although she would never let Han see it, she secretly loved him for it.

And while she had come in that morning feeling like she was being stored up in hiding, she could not help but feel now that the next few months wouldn't be so bad after all.


	6. What She Didn't Know

_Warning: Slight sexual content_

Chapter Six: What She Didn't Know

Finding herself more weary than usual, most likely a result of the stress, Padmé slowly made her way to her and Anakin's bedroom and found Anakin right where she had left him about an hour ago. He was sitting on the edge of their bed, scrolling through the datareader where all the articles about the explosion were. His eyebrows were furrowed in thought, and his shoulders looked tense, though from sitting there for so long or from the extent of the articles.

"They're still calling it a gas leak," Anakin told Padmé when she reentered.

Padmé approached him and sat on the bed behind him, massaging his upper arms and looking over his shoulder at the datareader. As much as she was concerned for their daughter's safety just as much as he was, she was worried that Anakin was working too hard. "Luke, Leia, and Han just arrived," she told him gently, rubbing his arms.

He seemed surprised. "I didn't even hear them."

"They were on the quieter side," she told them. She had sensed that Leia was still a bit reluctant to go into hiding, and that Luke and Han still were concerned for her safety.

As Anakin made a move to put the datareader away, she told him gently, "They're settling in. I told them lunch would be ready in an hour or so."

He let out a soft sigh, rubbing his face with his hands.

"Anything bothering you?" she asked him softly.

His lips hardened and he shook his head. "I just keep thinking back to that night," he replied, his voice low. "I don't know why I hadn't sensed it. Maybe I could have done something about it."

"Don't berate yourself about it," she replied gently. "Today's what we need to focus on."

He looked up into her eyes. "It's silly, I know, but I keep blaming myself because while their lives were in danger, we were busy wrapped up in our own pleasure."

Padmé smiled. He blamed himself so easily. And while she knew that the blame was not always fairly placed, it was only a testament to his love for his children and his loyalty to his family. "Where'd Jinn go?" she asked him, changing the topic.

Anakin set the datareader aside. "He went with Sabé to his own room. He wanted to show her what he was building."

"Anakin, you know I don't like him playing with all that mechanical stuff."

Anakin smiled. "Padmé, he's a natural. There's nothing dangerous he can do with it." When she did not seem to relent, he continued, "He won't hurt himself, I promise. I've checked multiple times to make sure."

Padmé just resigned in silence. She trusted Anakin's judgment, and if Jinn was truly Anakin's son, he would know exactly how to handle it all.

She was not in the mood to argue, anyway. For one reason or another, most likely the stress from the whole ordeal, she was feeling slightly on the down side, with little energy and slight bouts of nausea at sudden movement. With a final rub to Anakin's arm, she rose from the bed.

"You know how much I love you, right?" Anakin told her gently, touching her cheek as she rose. He seemed to miss her now that she was leaving.

Padmé smiled. He knew exactly how to cheer her up. "Do I?" she replied teasingly, turning back around.

"I hope you know," Anakin replied, smiling at her and taking her hand in his.

"Mmm," Padmé said with a growing smile, approaching him once more and standing before him. "Some of the time?"

"All of the time," Anakin said with a smile as she leaned in to kiss him.

The kiss was gentle and loving, and Padmé instantly felt herself warming from the inside out. "What if I ran away to Hoth? Would you still love me then?"

Anakin kissed her again. "I would be heartbroken, but yes."

"Mmm," Padmé said. She enjoyed the feeling of him against her just as much as she loved teasing him. She leaned in to kiss him once more, knowing that he was enjoying it as much as she was. "What if I told you I was a changeling?"

Anakin laughed, moving his hands from her fingers to the sides of her face. "I'd ask you to stay the way you are," he said in his husky voice. "You're beautiful. Don't ever change."

Padmé brought her lips to Anakin's, and as their kisses grew more and more heated, she climbed onto his lap to straddle him. Soon, she broke off their kiss, smiling wider. "What if I told you I was planning on adopting triplets?" she asked him, half in jest because she knew he was getting aroused and wanted to continue the love-making more than the conversation.

"Let's not," he told her, his hands sliding down to her waist, sending tingles down Padmé's spine. His lips met hers.

"Why… not?" she asked between kisses as they slowly grew more heated. "I thought you said you… liked making babies?"

Anakin could barely answer. "We're getting too old."

"What if we… had another?" Padmé asked him, not quite expecting a reply, as Anakin was too involved to respond. Anakin leaned back onto the bed, Padmé following him closely. As their kissing became more and more passionate, and their hands began to roam, Anakin suddenly slowed down.

"What?" Padmé asked him, continuing to kiss his cheeks and jaw.

"We… shouldn't," he said, his breathing stilted.

"Why not?"

"Someone could…"

Padmé deepened her kisses, and Anakin melted into her.

"…Walk in."

"You started it," Padmé returned.

"The door's… wide open." Anakin was clearly struggling to talk, much to Padmé's satisfaction. "What if one… of the twins sees us? Or Sabé? Or Jinn?"

"They must assume that's how… they were created," Padmé breathed, reaching down for Anakin's belt. "We have at least an hour."

"Mmm." Anakin seemed to give up, and the kisses continued. He soon took control, something Padmé had been teasing him to do.

As he flipped them over so that he was on top, however, suddenly Padmé's dizziness returned, a cause of the sudden change in position. Feeling suddenly extremely faint, she halted kissing altogether and closed her eyes, hoping that her splotchy vision would disappear.

Anakin seemed to notice very quickly, or maybe he sensed it through their bond, because he stopped almost immediately. "What?" he asked. "What is it?"

Padmé only shook her head. Her head was still spinning. "Dizziness."

Anakin got off her immediately. "What do you mean?" he asked gently, touching her cheek and brushing her hair off of her face. "Are you alright?"

"It was just a sudden spell," Padmé told him, knowing that he was already concerned for her health.

"What do you mean, 'a sudden spell'?" he asked her. He also already knew she was downplaying it.

Padmé opened her eyes, and met his intense gaze. Her dizziness had faded a bit, but the nausea was still there. "I'm fine," she told him firmly. She was probably just dehydrated, or needed to eat.

Anakin looked very doubtful. "Maybe you should rest for a little while-"

"Anakin, I'm fine," Padmé said, more sharply than she intended. When Anakin looked slightly hurt, she amended. "Ani, the guests just arrived. I need to go help Sabé make lunch for them."

Anakin's worrisome expression did not fade, but he did not protest when Padmé slowly sat up. Determined not to show any weakness, Padmé rose from the bed, kissing Anakin briefly on the cheek to reassure him, and then headed from the room. Part of her felt bad that she was lying to him, but she did not want him to worry any more than he was lately. He, like her, was already stressed about the entire situation with Leia, and she did not want to add concern for her to the mix. Leia was who they should be concerned about right now, not her own small cold.

Sighing inwardly, Padmé made her way up the stairs to Jinn's room. The door was wide open, and inside Padmé could see both Jinn and Sabé seated on the room's floor. Jinn had a small mechanical creation in his hand and was animatedly informing Sabé about it.

Jinn's room was smaller than Padmé and Anakin's bedroom, but had many more items inside. To the left wall of the bedroom was Jinn's bed, a small and cozy twin with boyish sheets and a whole array of toys lined up over its comforter. The pillow from the bed had fallen to the floor, forgotten in the excitement of the morning. Although many children of Jinn's age may have been interested in action figures or plush animals, Jinn's room was covered in other small mechanical "creations". His dresser, which was pushed to the right wall of his room, and his toy chest and floor rug, were all coated with these creations.

Jinn and Sabé both looked up when Padmé entered the room. Instantly, Jinn's smile widened and he cried, "Mommy! Look what I'm showing Sabé!" He held out his small hand, on the palm of which rested a small, spider-like object.

Laughing softly at her son's obvious enthusiasm, Padmé approached and knelt down on the rug beside Sabé, who smiling knowingly at her.

"Do you like it, Mommy?" Jinn asked her. He put the object into her hands.

As she turned it in her hands, she could see that the object was spider-like, with long, thin legs and a small body. Padmé was not sure she knew what the object's purpose was, but she could tell it had been gently crafted, and knew that Jinn was likely very proud of it. "It's beautiful," she told Jinn, holding the object back out for Jinn to take. "I can see you worked hard on it."

Jinn beamed, and took the spider back, gently cupping it in his small hands. "I can make it come to life, Mommy!"

Padmé was surprised at his choice of words, but replied, "Sure!"

Jinn, biting his lip in concentration, scoured the body of the spider with his eyes, and he seemed to find some sort of a switch. With a small _click, _the creation jolted to life, startling both Padmé and Sabé, both of whom had expected the idea of "coming to life" was through Jinn's imagination, not a literal switch.

The object moved clumsily and slowly, but Jinn beamed all the same. "Daddy helped," he admitted proudly.

Padmé could not help but be impressed at the antics of the spider, although she hoped that Jinn would try something less insect-like in the future. "It's very good, Jinn," she told him. "See what all your hard work created?"

As Jinn flicked off the switch of his creation, Padmé stood and hoisted Jinn onto her hip. "Sabé and I are going to go downstairs and make lunch for your brother and sister," she told him. "Would you like to come?"

Seeing his eyes light up like stars, Padmé laughed, and she and Sabé headed out of the room. And suddenly, Padmé's dizziness and nausea was gone, making her believe it was just a short spell.


	7. Planning for Disaster

Chapter Seven: Planning for Disaster

"I'm assuming some investigation's to occur," Han was saying to Luke over his broth as they ate lunch.

"Yes," Luke answered in return, pushing his own bowl away from himself and leaning back in his chair. The broth had been delicious, and he had filled himself up on it.

He and Han were sitting at the table in his parents' kitchen, discussing the developments –or lack thereof– on the assassination case. The kitchen was small and comfortable around them, with preparation counters surrounding two sides of the room, and a small island in the middle of the kitchen. His mother and Sabé were working on the counter behind Han, chopping more greens for more broth. Above them, broad sunlit windows allowed light to filter in, illuminating the entire area.

"The holonews isn't doing a good job with the investigation," Han continued to say to Luke. "Those idiots're still fixed on the idea that it is a gas leak."

"Maybe someone in power's behind it all," Luke suggested. "It's a possibility, however unpleasant an idea it might be."

In the brief lull of their conversation, Sabé turned around from the counter, a bowl of broth in her hands. "More?" she asked Luke.

"No, thank you," Luke replied graciously. Luke had only met her once or twice at his parents' home, but had quickly found that she was sweet in temperament and actually quite quiet. She looked startlingly similar like his mother in appearance, which Padmé had explained was part of the reason for her history as her handmaiden, and wore a simple but beautiful green dress.

"I guess I'm just wondering where we go from here on out," Han continued.

"I don't know how much we can do from being in hiding," Luke agreed reluctantly, folding his arms over his chest.

"Your father was saying the same thing," Padmé told Luke, turning from the counter to place a basket of bread on the table, from which Han took a slice.

"Does he have any ideas?" Luke asked Padmé.

"You can ask him, he'll be down in a moment."

The next person in the room was not Anakin, however, because a moment after she had finished speaking, an excited Jinn scampered into the room. He seemed to notice the newcomers instantly, however, because almost immediately he shrunk back shyly, clinging to Padmé's dress hem.

He was much bigger than how Luke remembered; he had grown taller, and had lost some of the plumpness characteristic of younger children. He was clothed in dark pants and a light tunic top, with a strip of fabric around his waist. His hair was still as wild and blond as Luke remembered, however, and his eyes still as soft brown.

Interceding for the shy child, Padmé said gently, "Jinn, are you going to say hello to your brother and Han? Why don't you show them what you made?"

Jinn seemed to lose some of his bashfulness as he pulled out a strange contraption from his pocket, a black, spindly looking creation that looked suspiciously like a spider. He released Padmé's dress and approached Luke, his eyes wide, and held out his hand for Luke to see what he had created.

Luke took the contraption gently from Jinn's hand, and turned it in his own. Knowing it was the only way to draw Jinn out of his shell, he pointed to the creation and asked, "Does it jump?"

Jinn smiled and shook his head, clambering onto the chair next to Luke.

"How do you turn it on?"

Luke allowed his younger brother to take the creature out of his hand, and Jinn flicked the switch, allowing the spider to scuttle around on the table.

"Did you make it all by yourself?" Luke asked him, surprised somewhat by his brother's mechanical abilities.

Jinn shook his head. "Daddy helped."

"That's a pretty impressive spider, Jinn," Han told him across the table. "Did you know my ship uses some of the same wires you have in that spider?"

As Han began to relate some of the mechanics of the _Falcon _to a now-fascinated Jinn, Luke looked at Padmé and said, "He's so much like Father."

Padmé smiled. "You're a lot like him too, has anyone ever told you that?"

Luke laughed. "A couple. Obi-Wan used to all the time."

"He would know," Padmé agreed.

Luke laughed with her, and when they had both quieted and sobered, he asked, "Did Father mention what he was planning on doing?"

"It sounds like he'd prefer to do his own investigation," Padmé replied, setting a bowl of broth before Jinn. "I'd have to say I'd agree with him, especially when holonews is so likely to make their own edits."

Luke nodded, agreeing with his mother.

"How've you been?" she asked him gently, putting a hand on his back as she sat beside him. "With this whole ordeal?"

"Better," Luke told her honestly, appreciating her concern. "It'd been stressful, but I'm glad we're here now. I know Leia's safe."

Padmé nodded, sympathy in her eyes.

At that moment, Luke looked up to see his father approaching, descending the stairs to the kitchen. He was dressed in dark pants and a black tunic top, and his blond hair was messy, as usual. When he entered, Han, who was entertaining Jinn with stories of the _Falcon, _quieted down a bit. Even though Anakin had not been Darth Vader for at least five years, Han still tread respectfully around him. Luke didn't know if that would ever change.

Anakin gave a small smile when he saw Han, and they shook hands. He then passed by Padmé, giving her a peck on the cheek.

"You're okay?" he asked her, quiet enough for Luke to know it was intended for his mother only. Although Luke was not sure he knew what they were talking about, it still warmed him to see how gentle his father was around Padmé.

At her nod, Anakin continued by her, briefly touching Luke on the shoulder as he passed. He took a seat on the other side of Luke.

"I'm sorry it took me so long to come down," he apologized. "How are you, Luke?"

Luke smiled in response. "All settled in," he replied.

"Where's your sister?" Anakin asked him.

"Napping, for now," Luke replied. "She seemed a bit tired."

Seeming satisfied at the answer, Anakin turned to look at Padmé. "I've decided to head out tomorrow," he told her.

They must have discussed it prior, because Padmé seemed to know what he was talking about. "You're going to the site?"

Anakin nodded.

"Is it safe?"

"I expect it is now," he replied. When Padmé did not seem appeased, he reminded her gently, "I've been through worse, Padmé. And they're not after me."

"What do you hope to find there?" Luke asked his father.

Anakin looked at him. "Hopefully some clues that were left behind. If I need to, I'll check the security holocameras and scour the site for any traces of the weapon or assassin's origin."

"I'd like to come," Luke told him suddenly.

"Me as well," Han said from across the table, causing everyone to look at him in surprise. They had not known he had been listening to their conversation.

Anakin looked uncomfortable at the idea of Luke and Han coming with him.

"Father, you know I've been trained," Luke told him, knowing he would have to talk his father into feeling comfortable with the idea. "I've had plenty of experience."

Apparently seeing that Anakin would need some convincing, Padmé turned to Anakin, her voice gentle and persuasive. "He's an adult now, Ani," she reminded him gently. "They would get too restless here anyway. It'll be better for you too." Luke watched as his father slowly began to relent. His mother was one of the few people who could change Anakin's mind, and Luke found himself relaxing. He could already see his father's defensive wall crumbling.

"You don't think it'll be risky?" Anakin asked her.

Padmé shook her head. "The assassin isn't looking for them. There's no reason it should be. And even if it is, you're all trained for combat."

Something in Anakin's eyes seemed to abate, and he sighed in reluctance. After a moment, he turned to Han and Luke. "Tomorrow morning, then," he told them finally. "I think we should leave early."

"Before the holocameras arrive," Han said sardonically.

Luke nodded. "Settled it is, then."


	8. Identifying the Assassin

Chapter Eight: Identifying the Assassin

When Anakin's alarm went off, he checked the time on his wristwatch. 0500 hours. It was way too early to be getting up, but that was what they had decided the day before. They had agreed that the earlier they arrived at the site, the fewer holocameras would be around to interfere, or to watch them interfere.

Ah, but his bed was so warm and comfortable. Anakin could remember his days at the Jedi Temple, when Obi-Wan had to practically drag him out of bed. Then, they had gotten up early almost every day. How could he have managed to get up so early every day then when now he was struggling to get up early one morning? His life was so different now.

Anakin sighed softly and glanced sideways, where Padmé was sleeping beside him, curled up on her side. He was worried about her. She had been extremely lethargic the previous night, but had slept quite poorly. In fact, it had only been in the past three hours that she'd finally settled down. He knew she didn't like him to become overly concerned, but her behavior was starting to worry him. He watched her side slowly rise and fall with breaths. One more day. He'd give her one more day, and if she wasn't beginning to recover, he'd do something about it.

With a final glance toward his wife, Anakin rose from the bed as quietly as he could and got dressed in the dark of the morning.

When he had finished dressing and had grabbed his lightsaber, Anakin headed down the stairs to the veranda. It took a few minutes of sitting around, but eventually both his son and Han arrived downstairs, and they headed out.

The site in itself was not very large. There were laser caution beams all around the blackened building, all of which were intent to keep any trespassers out while the formal investigation was taking place. They all slowed to a stop, finding they could not go any farther.

The building itself was not very tall in comparison to the other buildings around it, and therefore Anakin could clearly see the hole where the side of the building had been taken off. Below, rubble covered the entire area inside the beams, amassing especially underneath the hole itself where it had apparently fallen from the building.

Anakin glanced around them, at the beams that surrounded the area and cut off the site. It would be difficult for the three of them to slip past the security beams, and Anakin doubted that his previous plan of digging through the rubble would be efficient. He had not expected the devastation would be this rampant. If they did go through with the original plan, they would be searching for hours… that is, if they weren't stopped by security before them. Besides, the idea of digging through rubble seemed almost foolish and inefficient. They would have to find another way to trace the killer.

The three stood behind the beams for a few minutes, staring into the gigantic piles of rubble as the beams hummed threateningly.

"Maybe it would be easier to access the security holocameras," Luke finally suggested in a low voice. He, like Anakin, seemed to have realized the necessity for them to formulate a new plan of action. "I didn't expect it would be… like this…" Anakin glanced sideways at his son. The tone of his voice suggested that he also had been taken aback at the amount of destruction. Anakin had to agree wholeheartedly with Luke that seeing everything in person was so much more powerful than seeing it over the holonet.

"Sounds like a better plan, kid," Han agreed finally after a few moments of silence.

Finding he could not look at it any more, Anakin turned away. It had been too close, and he had almost lost Leia, something he was not willing to dwell on. It angered him to know there were such people in the galaxy… and it upset him even more to know that he was once one of them. Only five years before, he had been one of them, who had broken homes, murdered innocents, and caused destruction above and beyond what one assassin had managed to do. It ashamed him. It pained him to think about. He had not been as bad as the assassin was; he had been worse. And he could never fully atone for it.

Sobered, but realizing that they should continue right away, Anakin continued his walk down the street, scanning up and down the nearby buildings' walls for any security holocamera that might have been directed towards the entrance of the reception apartment and might have captured the image of an unauthorized being entering that same night. If they could catch the would-be assassin on screen, they could from there uncover his identity and hopefully frame him.

Anakin was aware of his son and Han following behind him, both in an unusual silence. They were just as affected as he was by the whole ordeal.

Apparently trying to lighten the mood, Anakin heard his son say in humor, "Besides, we're professionals at breaking into high-security places."

A reluctant smile broke over Anakin's mouth, though he knew neither Han nor Luke could see it. Luke was referring to their first adventure together: the trip to Naboo where he had been reunited with Padmé and they had broken into at least two high-security Imperial bases. Or had tried to. It hadn't always worked, as Anakin recalled with vague amusement. But if they could do it then, there was no reason they couldn't do it now.

Anakin was halfway down the length of a building when he heard his son's voice call out from a distance, "Father!"

Anakin turned, and saw the familiar black figure standing a few paces away, motioning to an indistinguishable object above his head that was latched onto the side of a senatorial office.

As he and Han rejoined Luke, Luke told them, "It's the closest security holocamera that's in the vicinity. I've checked."

As Han and Anakin studied the holocamera, Han remarked, "It seems to be pointing in the vague direction of the building's entrance."

"We'll have to check the footage to see if we can identify the unauthorized individual from that night," Anakin said, glancing around them to check if the street was empty and then up at the camera. It was at least two stories above their head.

After a few moments of staring at the holocamera, each considering the possible paths of action, Luke asked the question they had all been thinking: "How're we going to get the footage?"

Ten minutes later, a window on the second story balcony of the senatorial office was removed, and three dark figures leapt unnoticed into the interior.

"We're gonna get caught," Han muttered under his breath as the three paused to look around the dark room. It was obviously an office, with a desk and conference chairs circled around each other. The area was eerily still and dark around them, but Anakin could not shake off the feeling that Han was right. The office also reminded him startlingly like Chancellor Palpatine's old senatorial office, which served only to set Anakin more on edge.

"Since when have you had issues with breaking and entering?" Luke returned cynically.

"We should have done this last night," Han warned them. "We only have a limited amount of time before someone comes in."

Han had a point. Most break-ins did not occur in the morning; it was too risky. But improvisation sometimes called for dangerous situations. "We'll be fast," Anakin told him, mostly to reassure himself than anyone else.

It took a few minutes, but they eventually made their way down to the control room, which was one floor below. For the most part, their process was not impeded; the building was completely deserted, and the only matter of delay was a small coded keypad outside the control room, which Han dealt with swiftly. Anakin was not even sure where he got all of his unique devices, but he didn't question it.

As they filed into the control room quickly and quietly, they quickly accessed the main datacomputer. After hesitating for a moment, as if to determine if there were any traps, Anakin cautiously activated it. The screen lit up.

"Will it be coded and locked?" Luke asked him from behind, breaking the extended silence as he peered over Anakin's shoulder at the lit screen.

After a beat, Anakin shook his head. "This building doesn't have much security; I think the keypad back there was their only defense against intruders." Anakin watched as the datacomputer began to list the network of security holocameras. "I doubt they have much to worry about on a day-to-day basis; this senate office is by no means one of the more important on Coruscant."

As Anakin and Luke began to scroll through the list, Han glanced uneasily behind them. "Work quickly," he warned him, his tone more grave than usual. "We might have company soon."

Although he was a bit unsettled by Han's tone, Anakin continued his search steadily, not wanting to make a mistake that might cost them time and energy. It took a few minutes, but eventually he located the exact holocamera and opened the file. The images captured by the security holocamera on the previous night began to play back for them.

Anakin had to admit that the images were much more complex than he had anticipated; in the video, the building was swarming with life, from people passing on the sidewalks before the building to speeders zooming left and right across the screen.

"How the hell are we going to identify the assassin?" Han asked as they all studied the people coming and going so quickly it was overwhelming.

"There are too many people moving around," Luke agreed pessimistically as his eyes flickered from person to person in the city crowd. "We could copy and download the file to a private disk," he suggested. "But we'll be studying this for month."

"No," Anakin said abruptly, shocking all of them with his suddenly adamant statement. He had seen something that had caught his eye in the video. "I know who did it."

"What?" Han said incredulously.

Anakin peered closer at the screen. He didn't think he would have noticed her if it hadn't been for the flaming red hair. It had taken a moment to identify her, but Anakin could not mistake the familiar black jumpsuit and the way she wove through the crowd, unseen and invisible to the eye. He had known her from his days as Darth Vader, when he had worked with the highest in the galaxy: the top assassins and killers, the specially trained beings who possessed skill greater than any natural of a kind… It was too much of a coincidence that she _happened _to be there the same day that the failed assassination had occurred, and had been walking around the building a mere 10 minutes before the explosion had occurred.

"Who?" Luke asked him.

Anakin pointed to a suspicious-looking figure in the back of the screen that was wearing a black jumpsuit and had flaming red hair spilling out from her hood. "Mara Jade," he said finally. "Former Emperor's Hand, galactic assassin, one of the deadliest people in the galaxy."


	9. A Complicated Plot

Chapter Nine: A Complicated Plot

Luke did not miss the contempt in his father's tone as Anakin identified the assassin. It surprised him; he had not heard such hate in his father's voice since he had been Darth Vader. It was a bit alarming as well.

As Luke stared at the miniscule figure of Mara Jade in the crowd, he wondered how Anakin could have possibly identified her from such a distance, but he did not challenge him. He trusted his father enough, and knew that Anakin did not make assumptions. He was always certain.

Right now, Luke was certain Anakin disliked Jade.

Perhaps rivalry was the reason Anakin hated Jade; perhaps when they were both working under the Emperor, they had felt threatened by one another. Perhaps they had been competitive for the Emperor's good graces. Luke watched as Anakin slid a rectangular disk into the datacomputer and the footage began to transfer onto their disk. Perhaps the reason Anakin hated her so much was because she reminded him of his past days as Darth Vader, days Luke knew his father was extremely ashamed of. Perhaps she even reminded him a bit of himself.

Anakin pulled the disk out of the datacomputer and handed it to Han, who slid it into his utility belt. Han continued to glance uneasily around them. The morning was advancing, and the room was loosing the cover of night as its shadows began to evaporate and its corners began to stir with the paleness of the morning.

Suddenly, as Anakin was returning the datacomputer to its previous state, Luke heard a distinct sound in a room nearby, and jumped abruptly.

"Did you hear that?" he asked his father and Han, who had jumped more at his abrupt reaction than the actual noise.

Han, who Luke almost expected to say in a drawling voice, _You're overreacting, kid, _turned to Anakin, looking very uneasy. "We should get out of here, Skywalker."

For once, Anakin seemed to agree with Han, especially because both were becoming more and more anxious as their time lengthened. "Come on," he murmured, motioning for Han and Luke to go first. His eyes were fixed on a spot in the deep shadows of the room, where the noise had originated.

As they were all turning to head out of the window, another sudden noise, this time louder and closer, caused them to abruptly cease all movement.

Luke did not move, barely breathing. It had been the definite and unmistakable sound of something in the building. The question was: where was it, and would it discover them? He closed his eyes and reached out into the Force. It was swirling with confusion around him, but he could sense distinct life forms, numerous in count, closing in around them…

"Freeze!"

The command came from much closer than Luke had expected, causing him to start with shock as his eyes snapped open. Beside him, Anakin and Han also froze in surprise. Among them, their eyes began to communicate a plan of escape.

"Don't move!" the voice barked from the far shadows of the room. The distinct sound of blasters being fixed upon them filled the room. They were surrounded. As Luke squinted through the darkness, he was not able to discern individual figures, but from the vast expansion of sound, he guessed that there were at least twenty of them. He was not sure how security had found them, but either way, they were in trouble.

In the back of his mind, he felt the distinct probing of his father's consciousness on his. As he opened his mind, he felt the connection between them strengthen, and Anakin's voice spoke in his mind.

_Get ready to make a run for it. _

"Drop your weapons!" snapped the same voice.

Luke reached down slowly for his lightsaber, and sensed that Han and Anakin were doing the same. Instead of unlatching it and releasing it, however, his hand remained on the hilt of the blade.

"I said, drop your weapons!" snapped the voice.

_Ready… _

The blasters around the room were raised, all pointed directly at the three men.

"Now!" Anakin called, and the room burst into action. As Luke and Anakin's lightsabers burst out of their hilts, and Han whipped his blaster out of his belt, the room opened fire around them.

If there had not been three of them, the barrage of red lasers upon them would have been deadly. But with the combined strength of his father's impenetrable defense, his own skill, and Han's remarkable aim, the blaster lasers seemed to pass around them.

As the three slowly retreated, Anakin called to Luke, "The window!"

Realizing what his father was trying to tell him, Luke turned, trusting that his father and Han would cover his back, and assessed the window behind them. When he could not quickly find a way to open it, he set his boot on the window and pressed his blade into the glass, hoping to cut the window so they could escape.

"Hurry up, Luke," Han snapped impatiently as he and Anakin retreated closer and closer to the window.

Luke dragged his lightsaber through the glass. It was slower work than he had expected; the glass was much thicker than he had anticipated. After he had finished cutting the window, he brought his boot onto the glass, and stomped once, twice…

"Luke!" snapped Han. He and Anakin were almost upon Luke. Soon, if Luke wasn't able to remove the glass, they wouldn't be able to retreat any further.

With a final stomp from his boot and a loud snap, the glass piece fell from the window and shattered onto the ground.

"Go!" he shouted at Han, who launched himself from the window without hesitation. He and Anakin followed close behind, deflecting stray laser blasts. Then, when they had all made it through, they took off into the waking streets of Coruscant.

It was about five minutes later when the three men halted running and slowed to a stop in a deserted alleyway in the Coruscant underground. The three bent over to regain their breath, assessing the area around them.

"Hell, kid, couldn't you have done that faster?" Han panted, placing his hands on his knees as he struggled to calm his breathing.

"It was thicker than it appeared!" Luke set his hands on his waist, working out a stitch in his side. "I would have liked to see you try!" he added.

Han grimaced as he straightened. "Did they not teach you that at the farm?"

Luke rolled his eyes in impatience. He didn't appreciate his friend's remark about his past life, especially when it implied such a lifestyle was inferior. Finding he was irked, he replied sarcastically, "I suppose you think you might have done better."

Han looked at him incredulously, with his famous "scruffy head tilt", as Leia liked to call it. He did not seem to believe that Luke was challenging him. "_May_be," he said firmly.

Luke chose to ignore the cheeky reply, finding he did not have the energy to make a retort. He knew that Han's irritation was stemming largely from his own stress at their lack of progress, and so he chose to ignore him. Regaining control of his emotions, Luke turned to Anakin, who he saw was also steadying his breathing. "Father, what do we do next?"

Anakin shook his head. "We can't draw much from the information we have."

Han made a derisive noise.

"We discovered the identity of the assassin," Luke pointed out, trying to ignore Han. "That's saying something."

Anakin's jaw hardened. "Perhaps," he admitted grimly. "But we're going to have to be more clever if we want to catch Jade."

Luke sighed and glanced around himself, as if checking to see that they were alone and safe from all ears. "Where do we go from here?"

Anakin shook his head. "There's no way of knowing where she has disappeared to. Discovering her name was a big step in itself, but we have virtually nowhere to go from here."

Anakin had a point, Luke realized. Even though they now knew the assassin's name, they had no way to trace her, or to learn who had hired her and why. Luke sighed and rubbed his face. His mother's theory that this was somehow connected to the Republic's anti-slavery bills could never be proved unless they managed to catch Jade, or foil her next attempt-

Luke looked up suddenly at his father and Han, hit suddenly with an idea. "We'll wait for her to strike."

Anakin and Han looked at him in confusion, but Luke barely noticed. His mind was swarming with the scenario playing out in his head.

"What do you mean?" Anakin asked him.

"If Mother's theory about the anti-slavery bill was correct, then Jade will wish to come back to complete her job," Luke explained. "There's no way that she'll drop her job after one failed attempt, especially if she's being paid by a higher power." Luke watched as recognition spread over Anakin and Han's expressions.

"But there's no way to predict where she'll strike, kid," Han told him. "It's hopeless."

Surprisingly, it was Anakin who spoke up. He said just one word, but it caused all to turn towards him in surprise. "Senate."

The word sent a ripple of shock through Luke. The idea was almost unbelievable; that an assassin would dare make an attack on such a galactic building, in the midst of so many important officials, but Luke instantly knew that it sounded like a possibility. "Are you sure?" Luke asked him.

"Padmé said that the bill would be presented in Senate in a day's time," Anakin said, seeming unusually solemn. "It would be the perfect opportunity."

Han snorted and shook his head, apparently with disbelief. "She wouldn't risk injuring other representatives," he dismissed, folding his arms across his chest. Then, when he noticed that the serious expressions on both Anakin and Luke's faces had not changed, his smile died from his face. He seemed to take their silence as a reply to his statement, and he soon grew completely serious. He looked from Luke to Anakin in incredulity and asked gravely, "She wouldn't, would she?"

Anakin shook his head. "Perhaps not the other representatives," he answered in return. "But it will be aimed directly at the creators of the bill. And she won't miss this time."


	10. Mysterious Illness

Chapter Ten: Mysterious Illness

Later that morning, Leia was woken when Sabé, her mother's handmaiden, came into her room to announce that she had prepared breakfast.

"Have the boys left?" Leia asked Sabé as the handmaiden worked on opening the tall curtains of the room's windows. Sunlight streamed in through the broad glass, revealing a bustling city view.

"They left a few hours ago," Sabé answered her.

"I didn't know they were up so early," Leia remarked, sitting up in her bed.

"Well, it is late," Sabé remarked, and Leia was surprised to see that it was already 1100 hours. "It sounded like they wanted to get an early start," she continued as she tied back the curtains.

"I guess so," Leia replied, pushing back the covers of her bed. She wondered where they were now, and she hoped that they were safe.

"I hope you slept well?"

"Yes, thank you." It had been the best sleep she had received in a long time. She could barely believe how long she had slept.

"If you'd like breakfast, you're welcome to come down to the dining room," Sabé told her as she headed towards Leia's door to give Leia some space.

"Is my mother already down there?" Leia asked her.

To her surprise, Sabé paused by the door to shake her head. "I don't think she's feeling alright. She's still in bed."

"What do you mean?" Leia asked her, swinging her legs over the side of her bed and hoisting herself to her feet.

Sabé looked uncomfortable. "She insists that she's okay, but no one knows how bad it is, not even your father. It's been happening for a few days now."

Slightly alarmed at hearing such words from Sabé's mouth, Leia immediately set her mind on finding Padmé and seeing if she was okay. She didn't know what was wrong, but she knew that her mother had a tendency to understate her own issues. As Sabé left the room, Leia quickly grabbed the pants, shirt, and vest she had worn the previous day, and stripped from her nightgown, tossing it onto her bed.

When she had dressed, she quickly moved from her room, passing through the veranda and by the kitchen, where she could smell Sabé's cooking. She began to climb the stairs on the opposite side of the veranda, where she knew her parents' and Jinn's rooms were. She had never been up in this part of her parents' house, so she slowed down a bit, not wishing to intrude if it was private.

It didn't take her long to identify the master suite as the door at the end of the hallway. It was closed most of the way, except for a small crack that Anakin must have left when he had departed earlier that morning. Cautiously, Leia approached the door, and listened by the crack for any signs of her mother stirring. There was no noise coming from the bedroom.

Hesitantly, ear still by the door, Leia raised her hand to knock. Again, there was no reply.

Not wishing to disturb her mother if she was sleeping, Leia pushed lightly on the door, calling out softly, "Mother?" When the door had opened enough for her to peek in, she did.

The room was very large, much larger than hers, and its curtains were still drawn, making the room very dark and shadowy inside. There was a large bed in the center of the far wall, and sheets spilled messily over the bed and onto the floor. There was no one in the bed.

Now Leia was concerned. "Mother?" she called again, this time louder. She stepped into the room, and quickly saw that to her right was another doorway, and this one was filled with light. It appeared to be a fresher of some sort. Leia hastened to the fresher.

"Mother!" she cried when she saw Padmé sitting beside the toilet. Padmé was clutching her stomach and her head was leaning against one of her hands, instantly making Leia's alarm rocket. She hurried to her mother's side and put her arm around her shoulders, squeezing her tightly. "Mother, are you okay?"

Padmé didn't seem to want to look at her. "I don't know," she replied, her voice shaking.

"What's wrong?" Leia asked her worriedly.

Padmé shook her head, wiping her eye with the back of her hand. "Nauseous," she said briefly, her voice wavering with unshed tears. "I don't know."

Seeing that her mother was near crying, Leia softened her tone and asked her in concern, "How long has this been happening?" Leia studied Padmé's face closely for any distinguishable signs of illness.

Padmé pushed away from the toilet and leaned back against the bath, rubbing her face with her hands. "I thought it was just a regular cold," she said shakily. "Or stress from the past few days."

"It's obviously not," Leia said softly, gently brushing the curls from her mother's forehead. "…Maybe we should tell Father."

"No," Padmé said quickly. "He already worries too much. He's been stressed out with this whole ordeal too."

"Mother," Leia said, feeling slightly uncomfortable that she was pushing her. "I think it's serious."

Padmé rubbed her face. "It's not bad," she replied softly.

Leia did not reply. Obviously it was, but she did not want to correct her when Padmé seemed so adamant. "What other symptoms have you had?" she asked her.

Padmé seemed to be calming now that Leia was by her side. As she hesitated to answer, Leia took her gently by the hand and stood.

"Let's go sit somewhere comfortable," she said gently, leading Padmé out of the fresher and to the bed.

As the two women settled against the headboard of the bed, Padmé began to speak. "I don't know what's wrong," she said. "I've been nauseous for a few days now, and it doesn't seem to be going away." She drew her knees to herself in comfort. "I initially thought it was just a prolonged cold; the result of stress from the whole explosion…" She paused again, rubbing her eyes with the heels of her hands before continuing. "But it hasn't gone away. I almost feel as if it's gotten worse. I'm dizzy, and Anakin told me he was worried that I was tired last night."

With a sigh of frustration, she straightened her legs and leaned her head against the bed's headboard. "I don't know why. I've just been so emotional lately."

"Is it hormones?" Leia asked her gently. "Sometimes they can do something like that."

Padmé let out a shaky breath. "It probably is," she said. "I'm already late with my monthly cycle, so this is probably-" She stopped abruptly.

Leia was immediately alarmed when she registered the abrupt change in her mother's expression. Padmé's eyes had suddenly gone round, as if she'd realized something. "Mother?" Leia prompted worriedly.

Padmé looked at Leia, repeating, "My monthly cycle is late." She was looking at Leia, as if expecting Leia to realize the implications of what she was saying.

Leia was silent, waiting for her to continue to clear up the confusion.

"What if I'm pregnant?" she whispered, then looked to Leia in astonishment.

Leia's eyes widened. It certainly fit all of the symptoms. "_Could _you be pregnant?"

Padmé took a shaky breath. "It's a distinct possibility." She bit her lip, and was silent for a moment. Leia waited for her to speak again, not wishing to ask private questions. After a while, Padmé spoke again, this time more softly. "I think I might be pregnant." Her hands rose to her temples.

"Are these the symptoms you usually get?" Leia asked her. With two pregnancies already, she supposed her mother already might have ideas about what to expect.

"I got morning sickness with both," Padmé replied. "But this would be the first time I've ever been dizzy or lethargic."

Leia felt uncomfortable, wanting to ask a follow-up question but not wanting to intrude on her parents' sex life. "How likely is it that you could be pregnant?" she asked cautiously, not wishing her mother to get the wrong idea. "Do you usually take pills?"

Padmé slid off the bed and began to pace back and forth. "We usually use protection, yes, but we forget occasionally…"

Leia blushed, not willing to think about it. "There's only one way to find out," she said, changing the topic quickly.

"Home test," Padmé said, sighing and rubbing her temples.

Leia arose and rubbed her mother's shoulder, pouring as much comfort as she could to her mother. Then, with a worried glance toward her daughter, Padmé went into the fresher and closed the door behind her.

Leia waited for about three minutes, and then the door to the fresher opened slowly.

Leia studied Padmé's expression closely as she emerged, but it was hard to read. Padmé held out a small plastic stick towards Leia.

"Just let me know what it says."

Leia took the stick graciously and stared at it as her mother paced in front of her. It was blank right now, but it read _Displaying… _and seemed to be reading. Finally, after what felt like an age, the result appeared.

Leia glanced up at Padmé, who was still pacing.

"What does it read?" she asked, sounding extremely anxious.

Leia met her mother's gaze, unsure how she would react to the unexpected news.

"You're pregnant."


	11. Coping With the Unexpected

Chapter Eleven: Coping With the Unexpected

Padmé let out a long sigh, and sank to the floor of the bedroom, her back against the wall. She rubbed at her face, trying to make herself realize what was happening. Pregnant. She was pregnant. How could she be pregnant?

Well, of course she knew _how _it happened. She actually was pretty sure she knew _which _time it had happened as well. As her mind flashed back to those memories, she found her cheeks growing heated. How could they have been so careless?

It wasn't that she didn't want another child. She would welcome any child that they had, because she loved Anakin and she loved children. It was just that they hadn't even entertained the possibility of conceiving another. They had both considered themselves too old. And they were… sort of. It was a complicated situation, because they had both been "reborn" in a way. Reborn. How ironic a word she used. Were they old, truly? …It was their children who were getting older; Luke and Leia were already past twenty, and Jinn had kind of been their last surprise, born four years ago. Even if they weren't old, per se, the simple fact was that they had already passed that stage of life. How could she even begin to accept this pregnancy? And what would Anakin say?

What _would_ Anakin say? He would be surprised, no doubt. He had certainly not expected Jinn, and that was four years ago. Padmé knew he would be excited, but she didn't know if she herself was even used to the idea yet. It was a big step forward, and it would define their next few years. It would mean another baby. More maternity clothes. More hormones. A swelling belly. Another labor. More diapers. It was a big responsibility. Padmé sighed. It seemed she and Anakin were very good at this unexpected pregnancy thing.

Realizing her daughter was watching her closely, Padmé tried to pull herself together. She wouldn't cry. She wouldn't. She didn't even know why she _should _cry. She wasn't sad. Just stressed. Stressed at the immensity of the situation.

"Are you going to be okay?" Leia asked her, sitting beside Padmé. She looked very concerned, and her eyes were soft with sympathy.

"It's not that I don't want the baby," Padmé managed to say finally when she could swallow her tears. "I just… wasn't expecting any others."

She felt her daughter squeeze her arm in comfort. It did make her feel better, in a way. "You're already a fantastic mother," she told Padmé. "Anybody would be lucky to have you."

Padmé looked into her daughter's eyes, the comment striking her deeper than she had expected.

"_I'm_ lucky to have you," Leia told her, her expression earnest. "You always give such good advice, and you're there when I need someone. I can come to you whenever I need help."

Padmé reached to touch Leia's face, the smooth skin of her cheek. "You're so special to me, you know that? I love you so much."

"I love you too, Mother," Leia whispered back. "And I know things are difficult right now, but they'll work out."

Padmé sighed softly. "I know." As she stared at her grown-up daughter, she felt immense pride in her and all her accomplishments. A part of her was still sad that she could have never been with her and Luke as they grew up. And although she no longer blamed Vader for that, it still was something deep inside of her that she mourned.

"What do you think Father will say?" Leia asked her softly.

Padmé could not help but give a small smile. "He'll be excited. Surprised, but he'll be excited." Her smile faded a bit. "He was excited for all of his children, especially for you and Luke." He had been. Because it had been their first child together, a manifested sign of their love… How lucky she was to have someone who embraced it all. Padmé hesitated for a moment, and then continued, "He's a good man, Leia. …I know he hasn't always been, but believe me when I tell you he tries. He tries so hard, and he loves us all so much. A part of him is still afraid that he'll go back to what he was before, and it torments and haunts him. A part of him holds back because he's afraid he's hurt you and Luke too much. But never doubt his love."

Leia seemed to be emotionally affected by Padmé's words, because she replied softly, "I won't, Mother."

Padmé nodded, her own throat closing up. Her nervousness was not disappearing, but she found that she was more at peace with the whole idea herself. She would tell Anakin as soon as she could. If she summoned the courage.

* * *

It was about 2000 hours when Luke, Anakin, and Han trudged back into the apartment. Trudged was the perfect word, Padmé observed with a hint of humor, because all three looked tired beyond words as she watched them slowly make their way back in.

Knowing that they were probably hungry, Padmé immediately led them into the kitchen, hoping that a hearty meal would stir some energy into them. She was also very eager to hear what they might have discovered.

Padmé could not help it; as the three headed into the dining room, she shot short glances in Anakin's direction, hoping to gauge his mood. Now that she knew of her pregnancy, she was anxious to tell him, but a part of her was still scared at his reaction. As she watched him sit at the table with their son and Han, a part of her could not help but feel guilty. It was heavily ironic what he was ignorant of. He had no idea what she had found out in his absence. He had no idea that their lives would soon change drastically, that he had fathered another child.

Padmé was drawn out of her thoughts by the entrance of Jinn, who had apparently heard the noisy return and wished to take part in the action.

Jinn's face lit up when he set eyes on his father, and he immediately went over to him.

Even though Padmé could tell that Anakin was exhausted, a brilliant smile spread across his face. Padmé could see hints of fatigue in his features, but that did not stop him from picking Jinn up and setting him on his lap. The boy beamed in the presence of his father, looking up to Anakin in admiration.

Padmé was warmed at the sight, and she felt herself calming somewhat. Even though she was still worried, in the depths of her heart she knew that Anakin was a good father, and that he would love whatever child they had.

Drawing his attention from the conversation that was currently occupying the table, Anakin looked down at his son and asked him with a small, knowing smile, "Isn't it past your bedtime?"

Jinn shook his head stubbornly, even though Padmé could read sleepiness in him as well.

Anakin smiled tiredly. "You can stay up until dinner is over, okay?" he told him. "Then it's bedtime for you."

Jinn seemed to be satisfied with the extra time, and he wrapped his arms around his father's neck, content to settle in Anakin's embrace as the conversation turned to adult topics.

"We accessed the records of a nearby security holocamera," Luke was telling his sister across the table when Padmé turned her attention to the rest of the family. "Although the whole film was quite chaotic," he continued, "By chance Father was able to identify the assassin as Mara Jade. Apparently she was one of the Emperor's hands, and a galactic assassin and spy."

"And you're sure that this is the same assassin?" Leia asked him, glancing sideways at Anakin for confirmation.

"It's a strange coincidence that she was at the right place at the right time," Luke replied for his father.

"Were you able to locate her?"

Luke shook his head, tapping his fork subconsciously on the table in an action of impatience. "We have no leads so far," he admitted.

"Then how will you track her?" Leia asked him, her gaze darting from Luke to Anakin and Han.

"We have a theory," Han began, leaning back in his chair as he pushed his plate away from himself, "That the next strike will be at the Senate meeting in a day, when they will present the anti-slavery bill."

Padmé glanced at him in surprise, and Leia asked him in astonishment, "You think they would try that in front of the entire Senate?"

Han looked grim. "She's trying to make a statement. It's the perfect stage for such a demonstration."

"Who do you think will be targeted?" Padmé asked them. There were many writers of the bill, how could they possibly able to predict who would become victim?

Luke shook his head. "We don't know yet," he admitted. "But it's bound to get messy."


	12. The Secret Weight

Chapter Twelve: The Secret Weight

Anakin waited with Padmé as each member of the family one by one excused his or herself and went to bed. It was already approaching 2200 hours, and was much later than Anakin had expected. He himself was about to crash.

Anakin stood as slowly as he could, trying not to wake Jinn, who had fallen asleep on his shoulder and was now breathing softly, deeply unaware of the world around him. Anakin could feel Jinn's chest expand and contract slowly against him, he felt himself relax, knowing that his son was peaceful.

As Sabé worked to clear the table, Padmé approached Anakin.

"I can take him to bed, Ani," she told him softly. "You look exhausted."

Anakin shook his head. She looked exhausted herself, and he knew that she had likely been pushing herself all day. "I'll get him, love," he told her as he placed a kiss on her cheek. "I don't mind. I'll meet you in bed."

Padmé, for one reason or another, looked extremely worried.

As Anakin was about to turn from her, he noted the expression on her face and stopped, concerned. "What is it?" he asked her, brushing her chin with his spare hand. He hoped the action would cause her brow to lift, but when it didn't, his concern rose.

Padmé looked extremely uneasy, and it seemed to take her a moment to formulate her words. Just as she was about to answer, however, Sabé entered the dining room for more plates, and Padmé's mouth clamped shut. Her eyes flickered to Anakin, worry deep in their brown depths. She waited for Sabé to leave the room, and then continued in a soft voice, "Can we talk when you finish?"

Anakin nodded, sensing that the topic was serious. He didn't know what it was about, but if Padmé was worried, chances were that it was important. "I'll be right up," he told her softly.

Padmé nodded, and Anakin turned to bring their son to his room.

Jinn's room was very dark when Anakin pushed the door open. It was just as messy as it usually was, with toys and mechanical tools all over the floor and surfaces. Jinn's bed was the only thing that was remotely straightened out; Padmé was very determined to teach Jinn to be orderly, but the bed seemed to be the only thing that she could get him to straighten up. Both Anakin and Padmé knew that Jinn took after his father in his orderliness.

Anakin tried to keep Jinn as still as he could as he reached for Jinn's pajamas. He preferred not to wake Jinn now that he was deep in sleep. Although he didn't doubt that Jinn, if woken, would fall back asleep quite quickly, he still preferred to keep him peaceful as long as possible.

It was slightly difficult changing Jinn into his pajamas while balancing him on his shoulder, but Jinn did not seem to stir. Shortly after, Anakin pulled back the sheets and placed his son in bed.

He was almost reluctant to leave Jinn after the child had settled down. Perhaps it was parental instincts, a desire to guard and protect; Jinn was their first child that they had seen grown from an infant to a child, their first one that he and Padmé had nursed, taught, and led together. A part of Anakin still felt guilt and grief that he had not been able to be there for his first two children, which made Jinn so precious to him. A part of him still could not forgive himself that he had deprived the twins of the chance to grow up among their real family. He didn't know if it would ever stop haunting him.

And there he went again. His exhaustion was causing his thoughts to run dark and gloomy when he needed to focus on the present.

Clearing the thoughts from his mind and giving a small sigh of resignation, Anakin soon turned and headed from the bedroom as quietly as possible, pulling the door shut behind him. He still left it open a crack, however, so he and Padmé might be able to hear Jinn if he called for them. It was more habit than anything else; Anakin had done it ever since Jinn was an infant and was not eager to break out of the sentimental action quite yet.

As he trekked back up the stairs, his weariness seemed to set back in, and he found that his legs were heavier than usual as he pulled them up the stairs. The day had for certain been extremely busy for him; even though they had started out so early in the morning, they had spent the rest of the day on their feet as they tried their best to find any other leads. Perhaps their lack of success contributed in part to Anakin's weariness as well, but either way, Anakin found he could barely keep his eyes open as he walked into his and Padmé's bedroom. He stifled a large yawn as he closed the bedroom door behind him.

Padmé was not in bed when he climbed in, but he could see that the light underneath the door of the fresher.

Anakin set his head on the pillow, anticipating that she would come to bed soon so they could talk. For now, though, he just wanted to rest. Maybe he would close his eyes… just for a few moments…

The feeling of the bed shaking as Padmé climbed in stirred Anakin out of the sleepy daze that was beginning to fall over him. She must have been in the fresher a long while, he realized sleepily, because he had completely dozed off.

Anakin gave a small grunt and forced his eyes open. He could see that she was sitting beside him, clothed in her nightgown, and looking at him with a gentle but worried expression.

"Ani, I didn't wake you?" she asked him softly, her voice containing surprise.

"No," he lied. His voice sounded gruff with sleep as he tried to wake himself. "No. What did you want to talk about?"

Padmé didn't seem to believe him. "You can barely keep your eyes open," she said softly, touching his cheek lovingly with her fingers. The touch was soothing to Anakin.

"'m fine," Anakin murmured as Padmé began to massage his scalp, which seemed to relax him even further. Summoning all his will to send off his sleepiness, he opened his eyes. As he began to shift to sit up, however, Padmé's expression turned guilty.

"No, Ani," she said softly, putting her hands on his shoulders to gently push him down. "Please don't."

"No," Anakin replied. "Padmé, you're worried about something."

"It can wait," Padmé said firmly, her expression growing gentle. "I'm fine." She began to spread herself out beside Anakin, a signal that she did not wish to continue the topic. "It can wait until the morning," she repeated said softly, and Anakin slowly sank back into the bed. She reached out and ran her hand up and down Anakin's arm, tending tingles down Anakin's spine. Somehow, her touch always did that.

Anakin studied her closely, but could see nothing but concern for him in her eyes. Sometimes she claimed she was fine, but Anakin could tell she wasn't. This was one time he could not read her at all. "You sure?" he asked her softly, his voice musky from sleep.

"Tomorrow, okay?" she replied with a small smile. "You can barely keep your eyes open." Her smile faded a bit as she touched his cheek. "Sleep is what's important right now. Tomorrow's a big day."

That was an understatement. A deep laugh vibrated in Anakin's chest as his eyes sank once more. "For sure," he murmured sleepily.

He felt Padmé move closer until she was pressed against him, her warmth surrounding him. He felt her put her hand on his chest and snuggle into him. Although he sensed there was more importance to Padmé's worries than she was willing to admit, he shifted closer to her, wrapping an arm around her. Soon the two were fast asleep.


	13. Bane of the Senate

Chapter Thirteen: Bane of the Senate

Luke and the others arrived at the Senate around midday, when the crowds of senators were gathering and filing into the Senate. Immediately, Luke was amazed at the vast array of people; never had he seen such great numbers of beings and from so many different origins. Species he didn't even know existed were suddenly climbing the elegant Senate steps before his eyes, decked in ostentatious ceremonial garb and brilliant jewelry and paints.

As much as he was astounded with the number and variety of beings, Luke tried his best to look natural and accustomed to the area in order to blend in the crowds. The main goal was to hunt down Jade, and unless they assimilated, they could not succeed.

Luke glanced sideways at his father and Han, both who of which were dressed up in formal robes. It was odd for Luke to see them in anything but their usual clothing, but he supposed it was all a part of the necessary charade. Both actually looked quite put-together, probably due to the fact that Leia had insisted they put effort into their appearance if they were to grace the Senate.

Luke had felt bad for his sister when they had left early that morning. He knew that she was upset she was not attending the presentation of the bill, and even if he could not read it in her face, he sensed it over their bond. He did not blame her; she and the other members of the Provisional Council had put many hours into the anti-slavery bill, and now she was not there to see all her hard work presented.

Anakin led him and Han into the Senate and down the grand entranceway, passing through numerous groups of senators. After about a ten-minute walk, they finally arrived at a repulsorpod and seated themselves.

"The Grand Convocation Chamber," Anakin said quietly as the three looked around them at the gigantic space.

Luke had seen the interior of the interior of the Senatorial building a few times, due to Leia's involvement as a senator, but each time that he beheld the chamber in awe. The chamber was shaped vaguely like a huge funnel, with sloping walls that led down to a circular stage. On the walls were circular pods, each of which represented a different planet. He supposed that the senators got accustomed to seeing the chamber each time they met, but the entire chamber was still impressive to Luke. Perhaps it was the amount of years that he knew the building had stood, or perhaps the countless number of famed and esteemed people who had graced its halls –including his own mother– but Luke was still always blown away.

"And they say the _Empire's_ main method of persuasion was intimidation," muttered Han under his breath.

"I suppose the senators get used to it," Luke replied. When he noticed Anakin looking toward him, he noted Anakin's cool manner and asked his father, "Did Jedi get to visit the Senate?"

"Occasionally," Anakin replied. "Jedi didn't partake in senatorial representation, but occasionally our presence was needed in the convocation chamber."

"Did you ever watch Mother speak?" Luke asked him.

For some reason, a small smile spread over Anakin's face and he gave a low chuckle. "A few times, yes."

They faded into silence then, each watching closely as the members of the senate filtered into each pod. Luke felt the mood turn somber as they slowly focused their minds on their present task.

"How will we know where the assassin will be?" Luke murmured under his breath.

"We don't know," Han replied, his eyes fixed on a pod opposite them where three Twi'leks were seating themselves. "This is a long shot."

"There's a good chance we might not be able to prevent this attack," Anakin agreed. "We have virtually nothing to go off of."

"Should we have warned Mon Mothma?" Luke asked them, realizing suddenly the danger she and the other members of the Provisional Council were in.

Han's eyes never abandoned their scan of the pods as he muttered out of the corner of his mouth, "Leia said she contacted her this morning."

Luke nodded in response, and his eyes continued to scan the chamber when suddenly they were drawn to a familiar face.

Firmus Piett, former admiral of the _Executor _and subordinate under his father, was sitting three pods to their left, among what appeared to be other leaders of the planet Axxila. Luke was somewhat surprised to see the former Imperial, especially in the Republic senate, but judging from his appearance, Piett was merely a spectator, much like himself. Piett appeared to be healthy, with perhaps a few more gray hairs here and there, but very much like how Luke remembered him from their last meet-up five years previous on Naboo.

Luke watched as Piett turned his head, as if he could sense someone was watching him, and suddenly met Luke's eye. He seemed surprised to see Luke, but he made no large spectacles of astonishment, instead keeping his cool and collected composure. Luke saw his eyes flicker towards Han and eventually towards Anakin, where they rested for a few beats more as Piett observed his former superior. Then, being too far away to exchange pleasantries with Luke or the others, Piett signaled his greeting with a brief but polite nod, and turned his attention back to the members of his own pod.

Luke was about to turn to his father and Han to tell them of Piett's presence just a little ways away, when he suddenly noticed that their attention was fixed on Mon Mothma, who had just taken the central podium.

"Members of the Senate," Chancellor Mothma began, her voice amplified so it rang around the entire senatorial chamber, sending a hush over the murmur of voices. "We have gathered today to present the newly formed Bill 21273, which will close off all trade with any planets participating in or supporting the slave trade. If this bill is passed into law, the Republic will outlaw commercial exchange with any such planets until each government has reformed its social or economical structure to exclude the involvement of slaves…"

"Keep an eye out for Jade," Han murmured in Luke's ear. "We should be ready to spring for her."

Luke nodded, continuing his sweep over the pods.

"Jade should be nearby," Anakin told them in a low voice. "We're looking for an pod with an expert shot, not too far away from Mothma so that a miss could be risked. If the assassin misses this time, the plot is exposed."

"…Under clause 462 of the Galactic Constitution, freedom of self is defined as the ability of beings to have voice, chance at economic independence and education, freedom of bondage, and freedom of vote, all of which are denied of the many slaves that still remain in this galaxy. Therefore, we of the Provisional Council agree that it is in the best interests of the Republic to pass this bill into law…"

As Luke continued to listen, a growing sense of unease grew over him. He knew his father could feel it as well, creeping over them ominously, the feeling that represented the approach of danger.

As the speech drew on, Luke grew even uneasier as the feeling continued to mount inside of him. He also grew increasingly stressed and confused; even though his eyes continued to scan the pods, he did not see any hints of Mara Jade, and even though he felt that his Jedi instincts were calling out warning signs, he could not place where the signal was originating.

Finally growing impatient enough to try a different method, Luke decided to allow his instincts to take over and he released his thoughts and will into the Force, allowing it to guide him. Suddenly finding that he was being drawn to a pod straight across from them, on the other side of the chamber, Luke fixed his eyes upon it, studying it closely. There was only one being in the pod, and he or she was clothed almost entirely in black and was bending over, so Luke couldn't identify what he or she looked like. Why was he being drawn to that being? It couldn't be Jade in disguise…

As the figure straightened, Luke could barely distinguish that the figure in the shadows was male, with large horns protruding from his forehead and red-tinted skin. He was middle-aged, and had a severe-looking face and sharp eyes. He was dressed in a black jumpsuit and had a dark belt about his waist.

"Look there," Luke instructed his father and Han, and they followed his line of vision to the pod. Both narrowed their eyes in suspicion as they watched the figure bend down once more.

"What the hell's he doing?" muttered Han.

They watched as the Devaronian set a long tube-like object on the railing of the pod.

"Is that what I think it is?" Han murmured.

"That's a sniper's blaster," Anakin said in a low voice, and Luke could sense his muscles stiffening in tension.

"That's impossible," Luke said, tearing his eyes away from the man to look at Anakin. "Jade's who we're looking for." Wasn't it?

The three turned their attention back to the Devaronian, who had finished assembling the tube and was now crouching down to look through it, settling himself behind it.

Luke felt his tension increase and his muscles bunch in preparation. They were all watching the Devaronian closely, searching for any type of confirmation that he was the person they were looking for, but the uncertainty was leading them to hesitate. …Could they even afford hesitation in the situation? The longer they waited, the more the danger mounted. If they hesitated any longer and he was truly the assassin, they would be too late-

"It's him," Anakin said abruptly, and the three sprung into action.


	14. Reaching the Target

Chapter Fourteen: Reaching the Target

Anakin's heart beat wildly as he, Luke, and Han quickly evacuated and tore into the Senate Halls. He approximated they would have about three minutes before the assassin would fire, but traveling to the other side of the senate chamber took at least five or more, at a sprint. If only they hadn't hesitated so long… Anakin was not sure why the assassin was not Mara Jade, but their indecisiveness may have just cost them Mon Mothma's life… unless they could get there in time.

He felt his body pulse with adrenaline and he urged himself to run faster. As much as the situation was urgent, he could not help but feel a bit of excitement. The physical exertion brought him back to his old days with Obi-Wan, racing about the galaxy and saving people. It made him feel energized once more… made him forget about his past as Darth Vader.

He glanced over his shoulder briefly to see if his son and Han were still behind him, and was relieved to see that they both were.

By his timing, they reached the door to the pod in about three and a half minutes. Anakin was able to immediately locate which door led to the repulsorpod, and within a few seconds he tried the handle. It was locked.

Knowing that time was not on their side, Anakin summoned all of his force power and used a running jump to knock the door in. Ignoring the stunned looks on both Han and Luke's faces, he rushed into the repulsorpod.

The Devaronian was right before him, crouched by the railing with his eye beside the trigger. At the loud crash of the door caving inward, his head snapped up in alarm, but before he could react, Anakin had tackled him, pinning him to the ground so that he would not be able to fire. They crashed to the ground, and Anakin's elbow hit the rifle, bringing the weapon tumbling down and sending off a stray laser, the blast of which caused the nearby senators to cry out in surprise as they realized what was happening.

Anakin could not pay attention, however, because the first thing he noticed about the Devaronian was that he was strong, unbelievably strong, and much heavier than he had anticipated. And he was no longer Darth Vader. While Anakin struggled to keep the Devaronian pinned to the ground, he hissed to Han and Luke through gritted teeth, "Disable the rifle."

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw that they was doing just that, but he was so concentrated on his battle of strength with the Devaronian that he did not observe much else. He knew that he was not as strong as the assassin, and very quickly the Devaronian had turned the tables and pinned him to the ground. He fought hard underneath, but he knew that he could not hold him off for long.

Anakin heard the click of the rifle disabling and falling apart just as the Devaronian's hands reached for his neck and held it tight. Immediately the panic set in when Anakin realized his throat was closing in and he could no longer breathe. As he struggled to pry the Devaronian's stone fingers from his neck and his vision began to blur, he suddenly heard the biting voice of Luke spoke up.

"Get off him," Luke snapped. "Now." Anakin did not have to look up to know that Luke was pointing his lightsaber at the Devaronian. As much as he knew Luke wanted to run his blade through the assassin, he also knew that Luke wouldn't as long as the Devaronian and Anakin were fighting at such close combat. It was also important for them to take the assassin in alive for questioning.

The next few actions happened in such a blur that it was difficult for Anakin to follow it all. As the Devaronian released his neck and he began to gasp for air, he felt something hard collide with his face, specifically his nose. Pain burst through his face, and he immediately felt the trickle of blood on his lip. Although his sight swam before him, he was fairly sure that the Devaronian had just launched himself straight at Luke.

The Devaronian was well trained, because the action seemed to take Luke, a hardened warrior, by surprise. Anakin supposed he himself would not have expected such a drastic counter-attack either, and did not blame Luke for being startled. He had already noted that Devaronian moved from person to person in a deadly whirlwind of acrobatics and hand-to-hand contact, fighting with no concern for his own safety; apparently he knew that Han, Luke, or Anakin could not risk fatally wounding him and therefore took advantage of the situation.

As Anakin lay on the ground, still struggling to draw breath while his sight swam before him, his heart urged him to rise and aid his son. But as he struggled with himself, he found that he was momentarily paralyzed, stuck as he tried to gasp the oxygen back into his lungs. So this is what it felt like, to suffocate. He had lost count of the people he had killed this way when he had been Darth Vader. It had disgusted him before, but now that he had experiencing it could he feel what it might have been like; he sensed the same animalistic panic, not knowing if oxygen would ever grace his lungs again. The thoughts caused the grief and horror of his past life to resurface. As Anakin struggled to push those thoughts from his mind, he still could not hold back the anguish at the thought, making it even harder for him to recover. Padmé. He had once done this to Padmé. Her face flashed through his mind, gasping and trying to form his name.

There was a loud thud, signaling the fall of Luke to the ground and the rise of Han.

"Hands up," he heard Han snap to the Devaronian, pointing his blaster at the assassin.

As his grief rose inside of him, so did his determination. Anakin stood just in time to see the Devaronian twist around, bringing one arm into Luke's chest, causing him to buckle and fall to the ground, and the other arm into the side of Han's blaster, causing it to twist from his hand before Han could fire. However, the Devaronian seemed to notice he could no longer hang around to finish what he had started, because he used the distraction to turn and flee, jumping from the action to flee through the splintered door.

Han let out an impressive string of Huttese curse words, and the three burst from the repulsorpod to the Senate hallways. They immediately saw the direction to where he was headed and took after him, but being as beaten up as they were, they soon found that the Devaronian assassin was fleeing from their sight.

They chased him until they were all out of the Senatorial building, and the last glimpse they caught of him was when he disappeared around a building and into the Coruscanti underworld. When they finally had caught up to and rounded the corner where they last spotted him, however, they could find no trace of which direction he had gone. They had lost him.

As Anakin slowed to a halt, breathing hard through the tightness in his neck, he struggled to calm his emotions. Each time he breathed, he struggled to push the memory of Padmé lying unconscious on Mustafar from his mind.

"_Damn,_" Han spat in frustration. "We're horrible at this." He whirled on Luke and Anakin. "Whose idea was it to capture him? We should have just shot him in the head."

Luke shook his head. "We couldn't have risked it, we need that information," he replied. He bent down to try and regain his breath, all the while rubbing a spot on his side where Anakin suspected he had been whacked in the chest. "Some good has come out of this," Luke continued. "The Senate is safe. We discovered the assassin's true identity. We prevented an attempt on Mothma's life."

There was Luke, always thinking positive. Anakin wiped his nose, trembling violently, though from his bloody nose or from his own grief he was unsure. He had been bleeding since he had been hit in the face, but he supposed the vigorous chase following had not improved the situation either; he now seemed to be leaking blood all over the place… Padmé was going to kill him. These robes were new-

"Your nose!" Luke's voice suddenly cried in astonishment, startling Anakin from his thoughts.

Luke had turned to him, apparently wishing to discuss a new course of action, and now seemed to be taken aback at the sight of him. …Perhaps the amount of blood was more alarming than he thought.

"It's not that bad," Anakin told him, his voice muffled as he struggled to push Luke's attention away. He didn't want his son to know how emotionally unsettled he was. "It's not broken."

Luke seemed to calm a bit at that, and even though he continued to shoot Anakin worried glances, he remained quiet as their conversation progressed.

"I don't get it," Han continued. He did not seem to be fazed by Anakin's bloody nose and did not seem to notice his silence. "How could we have mistaken the assassin for Mara Jade?"

"Maybe there're two assassins?" Luke pointed out. "Maybe they're working together?"

"It's a possibility, kid, I'll grant you that," Han returned. "I don't think it's a coincidence that Jade happened to turn up on the same night as the Provisional Dinner."

Luke nodded. "Maybe their employer is utilizing more than one assassin?"

Han sighed. "Either way, we're going to have to be more careful," Han told him. "They're onto us now."

"What do you mean?" Luke asked him. "That they know we're trying to track them? They know that their lives are in danger?"

"Not just _their_ lives," added Han.

Luke looked at him quizzically.

"Ours are as well," Han told him. "If they manage to learn our identities, they could easily threaten us."

"They couldn't risk that," Luke said, pushing off the idea with a shake of his head. "They must know that we're coming after them. They'd be walking into a trap."

"Not if they get to us first," Han told him gravely. "At this point, they know we know their secret, the reason for these murder attempts. If they truly have an agenda, they have funding and manpower to accomplish it. A few Jedi won't stop them, especially when they'll go any lengths to get it. Even if it means silencing us for good."


	15. Hidden Fears

Chapter Fifteen: Hidden Fears

"What did Father say?" Leia asked her mother when Padmé entered the veranda where Leia was sitting on the couch. Padmé had just come downstairs, and Leia suspected she had been suffering from more of her morning sickness, judging from her slightly pale look. Padmé was clothed in a simple purple dress and adorned in silver bands about her upper arms and forehead.

Leia watched as Padmé gave a small sigh, her eyes slightly weary, and she took a seat beside Leia. "I didn't tell him," she admitted.

Leia was surprised to hear this. Padmé had seemed so convinced and so sure in Anakin's reaction that she had not expected her mother to possibly avoid telling him.

"I don't know," she said. "I just couldn't tell him. He was already so worn out and I didn't want to distract him from his duty." She faded into silence for a few moments, and then continued, her eyes cast downward as she admitted: "I haven't even gotten used to the idea myself yet. …I know I said I would tell him, but when suddenly the moment was upon me, I found I wasn't ready." She fell silent. "It took almost all of my skill to convince him nothing was wrong."

"Mother," Leia said gently. She knew it was not her place to intervene, but she worried that her mother was avoiding telling her father. "He would want to know. You know him. He cares so much for you."

"I know," Padmé said softly. She sighed softly "Part of me wishes I had told him last night. But not having that to worry about will help him better concentrate on his duty today. Who knows the trouble they'll run into…" She was silent for another moment, then continued, "I did the same when I found out I was pregnant with you and Luke."

Leia's interest was piqued at her mother's confession. "You did?"

Padmé nodded, her eyes cast downward. Her hands smoothed the folds of her dress, unconsciously revealing her nervousness. "I already knew I was pregnant when he left, but I didn't tell him. Worrying causes him to lose focus, and he needed all the focus he could get while fighting at the Outer Rim. …I didn't know that it would be another five months before he came back home to me."

Leia was surprised to hear what her mother was saying. Although she knew the general story of her mother and father's secret relationship, she was always interested to hear more. "How did you finally tell him?"

A smile was coaxed onto Padmé's face. "I didn't do anything creative, if that's what you're asking. By the time that five months had passed, I was showing too much to be anything but blunt."

"And how did he respond?" she asked Padmé.

Padmé smiled. "He was stunned for a few moments, due to the fact that we had never even considered having children. Our lifestyles didn't support it, and if others found out that Anakin was the father, I would have been disgraced and Anakin expelled from the Jedi Order." Her smile widened, and she seemed to be transported back to the memory. "He was thrilled, though. Even though it put us both in danger, he was thrilled."

Leia felt a bashful smile spread across her face. Her mother's words truly warmed her, and they caused her thoughts to turn to her own future marriage with Han. She didn't know if they'd ever have children, but she hoped that if they did, Han would be as welcoming and excited. She hadn't thought much about her and Han's future marriage lately, due to the fact that their situations had been altered so suddenly, but thinking about it now cheered her. "I wonder how they're doing," Leia said, breaking the content silence between her and Padmé.

Padmé smiled, standing from the couch. "I suppose we'll hear soon enough. I just got a message from your father saying that they are heading back now."

"So soon?" Leia asked her in surprise. "The Senatorial session has just started."

Padmé gave her a knowing look. "Have you checked the holonews recently?"

Leia shook her head, wondering what Padmé could possibly mean.

"The holocameras are all outside the Senate, clamoring to make sense of the chaos," Padmé said, unconsciously smoothing her dress against her stomach, as if she was comforting the presence growing there. "No one knows much yet, but in a few hours' time I expect the story will be all over the galaxy."

Leia was surprised to hear this. "I suppose the plot is out now," she remarked.

"Hopefully they'll be able to sort things out," she added. "I'm sure you are eager to get back to the Senate. Hopefully you will be able to return by the time that the bill is finally voted upon in a few months' time."

Leia smiled. Her mother knew her so well. She was very eager to return to the Senate, but still a part of her wanted to remain with her family. The past couple days had honestly been some of her happiest; even though she was technically restricted because she was in hiding, she found she didn't mind quite so much. She had learned so much about them and grown so much closer to her family in their time together that she could not help but feel that she might miss it if everything was sorted out so quickly. It was also nice having the freedom away from all the holocameras and Senate drama.

As she was continuing in her thoughts, the sudden sound of Han, Luke, and Anakin entering the apartment startled her. Padmé likewise seemed to be surprised.

"It's only been a few hours!" Padmé exclaimed in surprise as they trudged into the veranda. She and Leia came forward to meet them. "How did it- Oh my!"

As they drew closer, Leia could see that all three of them looked beat up. Luke had bruises on his cheeks, Han's clothing was torn, and Anakin had blood under his nose and on his clothing. He was holding a cloth underneath his nose, but the cloth was stained with red.

"What happened?" Padmé asked them in horror.

"He got away," Luke told her briefly.

Many questions flooded Leia's mind at her brother's words. How could the assassin have escaped two trained force-sensitives and one of the galaxy's most talented fighters? And had Luke said _he_?

"He?" Padmé echoed. "What do you mean _he_?"

"Jade isn't the assassin," Han told her, causing both Leia and Padmé's eyebrows to lower in concern. "The assassin in the Senate was a male Devaronian."

"Didn't you find Jade in the surveillance video?" Leia asked Han, surprised at the news. "I thought you were certain."

Han gave a shrug and a grim sideways smile, seeming resigned. "We don't know why it wasn't Jade," he said with a sigh, setting his hands on his hips wearily.

Apparently observing Han's weariness and feeling sympathy, Luke chimed in for him. "We suspect both were hired by the same person," he explained to Leia and Padmé as removed his Jedi cloak, which was torn in multiple places.

"So what happened?" Pamdé asked them, stepping forward to help Anakin, who was struggling to remove his cloak as he stifled his bleeding nose. She helped his arms out one by one, allowing him to keep his hand and the cloth under his nose.

"We had our asses handed to us," Han commented grimly, rubbing a hand over his face.

"We found him just as he was about to fire," Luke told her. "We managed to disable his rifle and keep him from causing any danger, but his fighting style was much different than anything we've encountered, and he was strong, very strong. We didn't have the chance to capture him without killing him; his fighting style was practically suicidal."

"Male Devaronians have been known for that type of aggression," Leia explained to him.

As Padmé continued to clean off Anakin, Leia noticed that the two seemed to draw into their own world, talking to each other in low voices only meant for one another. For one reason or another, Anakin seemed unusually quiet, and Padmé appeared concerned, touching his face in a sort of comfort. Although Leia could not shake off the feeling that something was wrong with her father, she didn't want to intrude on such a private moment and kept her silence, turning her attention back to Luke and Han.

"We don't know where to go from here," Luke admitted to Leia, apparently not noticing that their parents weren't listening. "There's a risk that someone might be sent after us now that they know we're directly involved."

"Which means your life is in danger," finished Han. He fixed Leia with a very serious look, one that she rarely saw cross his features. His forehead wrinkled with thought. "Leia," he started out slowly and hesitantly. "I know we've discussed it before, but I want you to reconsider training."

Leia saw where this was headed. "I've already _had_ defensive fighting," she assured him. Of course, she knew what Han really meant: he was referring to Jedi training, a topic they nearly always had disagreed over. Even though she would admit it to no one, a part of Leia had always been afraid of the idea of being trained as a Jedi. Luke had mentioned it plenty of times, and offered to teach her, but for private reasons she was not willing to accept. Not yet. Perhaps it was her fear of the deep connection between the Force and the Dark Side. Perhaps it was because Leia had seen what it could do to people. Perhaps it was because she had always seen herself as a Senator and nothing more.

"We're talking about training for force-sensitives," Luke added, even though both already knew it. "Leia, I know you don't particularly want to do it, but please, for me."

"If what we were saying is true, your life could be in danger," Han added, his forehead folded with worry.

They had a point, as much as Leia didn't want to admit it. If the persons who had hired the assassins were very powerful, as they most likely were, they would be seeking to get rid of all of them as soon as possible, in order to silence any who knew of the plot. Only by doing so would they preserve both themselves and their agenda.

"Please, Leia," Luke said once more, communicating his concern for her through their bond. "Please, at least do it for us."

His final plea was what made Leia's wall crumple. Were her reasons motivated by anything except fear? She knew they weren't. Finally, her eyes darting uncomfortably from Luke to Han and noting both of their concerned expressions, she felt herself give in. She would do it for them. With a small internal sigh, Leia replied, "Very well."


	16. Haunting of the Past

Chapter Sixteen: Haunting of the Past

As soon as the twins and Han moved to another room, Padmé took Anakin's hand and let him deeper into the veranda so they could be alone to talk.

"Ani, what is it?" Padmé asked him. Never had she seen him so visibly shaken in front of other people before. He was usually good at hiding his emotions and hurt behind a mask, especially ever since he had been redeemed, but this time he couldn't seem to. The others didn't seem to notice, but Padmé knew him well enough to tell. He must have been extremely unsettled by whatever had happened, and Padmé was determined to find out what it was.

She could feel him shy under her touch, and he couldn't seem to be able to look at her. He still seemed extremely set on edge.

"What is it? Ani, what's wrong?" she asked him, running her hands up and down his arms. She touched his face, trying to turn it towards her.

When he finally spoke, he spoke four words that only succeeded in confusing Padmé further. "…Reliving it all… again," he said, rubbing his face with his the palm of his hand, as if trying to rub the tension away. He still couldn't seem to be able to meet her gaze, choosing to look anywhere but her eyes.

"What do you mean?" she asked him. She touched his face again, hoping the comforting touch would soothe him.

He shook his head, tormented, and finally whispered, "How… can you love me after all I've done?"

Padmé realized with a click what must have been bothering him. "Memories of the past, is that what's wrong?" she asked him. Sometimes Anakin went through phases of guilt and depression, usually after he was reminded of his past life. He always tried to sit through them silently, which concerned Padmé to no end.

He didn't respond, but the subtle aversion of his eyes made her believe that she was correct in her assumption. She didn't know what had caused this lapse, but she was determined to talk it through with him. Padmé furrowed her brow worriedly and simply continued to move her hand soothingly over his face. When would he stop punishing himself? It only made her worry all the more. Just as Anakin turned his head away from her, however, she suddenly caught sight of what was wrong.

She was not certain how she had missed it before, but the whole side of his neck was covered in huge amounts of bruising. She could see distinct marks where it appeared that someone's hand had grasped his throat. There was no question about it: Anakin had been strangled, and Padmé suspected she knew who had done it.

As she studied his nervous behavior, she realized what was wrong, why he was acting so aloof when he usually confided in her. It was because his own attack must have brought back memories of his attack of her on Mustafar, shortly after he had turned to the Dark Side. She knew he still hadn't forgiven himself for it. She knew a part of him still hated himself because of it.

As Padmé stared at his neck, she touched the marks gently, as if to communicate physically that she knew what was wrong. As he felt her touch and realized its meaning, she saw his eyes finally flicker to her face, pained and guilty, though still a spark of hope remained in their depths.

"Ani, I've forgiven you, you know that," she told him. It had always been a tough topic between them, especially for Anakin. "It's all in the past."

"I still did it," he managed to say.

Padmé touched his cheek, tucking his hair behind his ear. "If you were the same person as you were then, you wouldn't be here," she told him softly.

Anakin seemed to calm a bit. He was silent for a moment, and then admitted quietly, "I'm afraid of going back."

"You won't," Padmé told him, relieved that he was finally regaining his composure. "Not when your family's here. You know the truth now, and we'll always be here by your side."

Anakin's eyes met hers, communicating his gratitude and relief to her. They embraced, and Padmé held him tightly, listening to his heartbeat deep in his chest. "I love you so much," he murmured to her. "You always keep me grounded."

Touched by his words, Padmé looked up into his eyes and kissed him long and tenderly. Her hands moved to his face, cupping his ears gently.

After a few moments, Anakin was the one who broke off the kiss. When he did, he looked deep into her, his blue eyes piercing, though with their characteristic tenderness. "I know I haven't been the only one who's been unsettled," Anakin told her. He reached up to her ear, pulling gently on her curls. "How've you been doing?"

Ah, it was the moment of truth. It was almost a moment of déjà vu for her; her mind briefly flashed back to the first time she had told him she was pregnant, so long ago at the Senate building.

Just as she was about to open her mouth to tell him, the twins and Han re-entered the room, all talking loudly. While they were distracted, Padmé turned to Anakin and told him in a low voice, "We need to talk tonight. It can't wait any longer."

"Not now?" he asked her, seeming confused.

Padmé shook her head. "It's private."

Although she sensed that Anakin was confused, the interruption of the twins and Han prevented him from asking further.

"Father," Luke spoke suddenly, directing his words to Anakin as soon as they had drawn up to them. "The three of us have been talking, and we'd like to ask you a serious question." He looked slightly uncomfortable, judging from his furrowed brow, but Padmé could tell he wanted to continue. "Would you be willing to take on an apprentice?"

Seeming somewhat surprised at the abruptness of the response, Anakin hesitated for a moment, watching Luke carefully as if to read the true meaning of his question. "It depends on the individual," he finally answered, though his tone was wary. Padmé could see it: the subtle avoidance, the hesitance to reply. Though he did his best to hide it from others, Padmé was one of the few who saw it: Anakin was afraid of training such a request. It seemed to be an intrinsic fear of his, and even though she had never pushed the topic, she knew it for certain. Anakin just didn't seem to trust himself, didn't seem to want to take such a step from his comfort zone, despite her encouragement and reassurance. She knew that his doubts of his reliability and competence, which had plagued his mind for the past five years, were crippling to his self-confidence, though he tried to hide it from the others. Padmé could read it now in the subtle tilt of his brow, of the hardening of his lips. Anakin simply did not trust himself with the development of an impressionable individual.

"Father," Leia began after a deep breath, looking just as uncomfortable as her brother as she spoke to Anakin. "In consideration of the present situation, I have a request."

Anakin seemed slightly surprised that Leia was addressing him so directly, and although he did not reply verbally at first to his daughter's statement, the tilt of his head conveyed his interest, therefore signaling her to continue.

"In light of the recent events," Leia began. Her shoulders straightened back as she seemed to gather courage. "Luke, Han, and I have noticed the need for defensive training." She took another breath, looking at her father straight in the eye. "…Therefore, I'm asking if you would be willing to take me on as your apprentice."

There was a small silence. Padmé could tell that Anakin was just as startled as she was by the request; somehow, they had both always seen Leia as a senator, due to Leia's lack of interest in the Jedi arts. And though they both knew she possessed the great force sensitivity of all of Anakin's children, they had never pushed for her to be anything than what she was comfortable with.

After the silence had faced and Anakin seemed to gauge the seriousness of Leia's request, he replied with a question that revealed his internal incredulity, "You wish to become a Jedi?"

"I wish to learn to use my abilities," she told him, her brown eyes scanning his features, as if looking for any signs of a reply. "I need to be able to defend myself."

There was another short pause as Anakin seemed to gaze upon her and contemplate her response. "You are willing to learn?" he asked her gravely. "The Force cannot work if its wielder is unwilling to give of herself."

Leia hesitated for a moment, but when she replied, her answer was firm. "Yes," she replied. "I am ready."

After another few moments of silence, in which Padmé was unsure whether or not her husband would actually accept Leia's request, Anakin finally nodded his head, and then broke their locked gaze by turning away. "Very well," he said, much to Padmé's relief. "I will train you."


	17. Teaching the Known, Learning the New

Chapter Seventeen: Teaching the Known, Learning the New

Knowing that if she was truly going to learn to defend herself, she would need to start immediately, Anakin led Leia deep into the veranda and instructed her to sit, planning on teaching her first what it felt like to be immersed in the Force.

As he watched her move to a cross-legged position on the ground, through his mind flashed the images of all the apprentices he had trained before her – not just Ahsoka, but also his numerous Dark Apprentices. Each one had been a blank slate, and each had been molded through his influence. The amount of power that was being placed in his hands was slightly overwhelming, and Anakin's greatest fear was that he would not succeed. He had failed more times than he could remember.

If his daughter noticed that he was hesitant to approach, she did not say anything. She just looked expectantly at him, although there was still a hint of uncertainty in her eyes as well. As he studied her, asking himself where they should begin, he wondered if it had truly been her choice to ask to be trained. Although he suspected it was, there was still an uncertainty in her force presence that suggested that she was not wholly comfortable with the idea.

"Leia," he started to say, keeping his tone gentle. "This is a choice you must make, and you must be certain."

Leia looked up at him, and must have realized that he knew she was uneasy. She replied with certainty, "I cannot live in fear."

"What is it about the Force that makes you fear?" he asked her, sitting cross-legged beside her.

Leia looked down briefly into her lap, where her fingers were playing. It took her a moment to respond, and she seemed to choose her words carefully. "It's not the Force that I fear," she told him. "But what it can do to you."

Anakin looked at her, and suddenly realized the root of her fear. It was not the Force, as she said, but what she had seen the power do to the ones she had encountered. It was with a slight shock that he also realized he must have impacted her strongly back when he had been Darth Vader. Vader must have been the first one she had known who had powers of the Force, and she must have seen through to his corruption and hunger for power. She was right, in a way; the Force did lead to greater power, but one who wielded it correctly would hunger for not themselves but for others, striving to keep peace and maintain ease about the galaxy. The Sith were the opposite.

"You fear becoming like Vader," he said softly, watching her closely to gauge a reaction.

Leia looked at him, seeming doubly surprised that he had brought the topic up and that he had read her thoughts so easily. She seemed to study him in return, ever cautious, as if trying to see if it was a topic that he was sensitive about. She reminded him so much like Padmé… Finally, she replied, "Yes."

"Only you can choose the Dark," he told her, surprising himself with his willingness to discuss it. Although he rarely spoke of being Darth Vader, he felt it was something she needed to hear. "No one can choose it for you."

Leia watched him closely, taking in all of his words.

"The Dark Side is a surrender in which you lose yourself and become all that you fear and hate… but only you can give of yourself. No one can chose such a path for you." Anakin paused a moment, meeting her eyes. "You must reject the Dark, but you must not fear it, Leia, because fear will limit you."

Leia looked at him closely. She seemed to know how difficult it was for him to speak his words, but she also seemed calmed by them. "Do you think about it often?" she asked him softly, her eyes flickering to his face as he glanced away.

"It will haunt me forever, Leia," he replied softly. He paused for a moment, gathering his thoughts and clearing himself of his bitter emotions as he met her eyes and told her gently. "But one should never dwell on the past. Never forget that, Leia. Allow yourself to be rooted to your love of others. They will ground you and bring you through."

Leia quieted then, and Anakin could sense the worry leaving her soul, soon replaced by deep peace.

Smiling gently to himself, Anakin then instructed her to close her eyes and reach into the Force…

* * *

Padmé was already in bed when Anakin entered into the dimmed bedroom. He had spent the rest of the day and night with Leia, and had ended up staying up much later than he had originally intended. Padmé had gone to bed almost an hour ago. In a way, he felt bad that he had not retired with her, but he knew she had been more tired than usual, and had assumed she would appreciate some quiet.

Anakin quietly removed his clothing, stripping down to only his sleep pants, and draped the rest of his clothes over the chair in the corner. He usually would have folded them and put them back in the drawer, because Padmé did not usually like it when he left his things around, but it was already late at night and he didn't want to cause more noise than necessary.

After briefly cleaning off in the fresher, he switched off the final light and tried to climb into bed without disturbing her. Padmé was sleeping on her side, facing away from him, and he could not tell if she was completely asleep yet.

Just as he was settling down, he was surprised to see her roll from her side to her back and look at him.

Suddenly wondering if he had woken her, he touched her cheek gently as way of apology. "I'm sorry, Angel, did I wake you?"

"I've been waiting for you," she said softly.

Anakin frowned, moving closer to her so his body was closer to her. He laid his head down on the pillow beside hers and reached out to brush her cheek gently with his fingertips. Ah, he had almost forgotten that she wished to talk with him. Noticing that she had a very serious, if not worried, look on her face, he asked her softly, "What is it, angel?" He found his voice was more hoarse than usual, a result of his wrestling earlier that day with the assassin.

Padmé seemed to take a deep breath. "Anakin, we need to talk."

Anakin sensed that her tone was very solemn, and he grew more concerned. "…What about?"

"It's about me being sick."

Anakin hesitated to answer. "I've noticed you haven't been completely well," he said finally, stroking her cheek affectionately as he looked into her deep brown eyes. "Are you okay?"

It was Padmé's turn to hesitate. "…Medically, yes."

"Then what's wrong, love?"

Padmé paused again, and then seemed to take a breath before she said softly, "Anakin, do you remember when I told you I thought we were done having babies?"

Anakin frowned. He wasn't sure he knew where this was going. "Yeah."

Padmé seemed to be studying his face very closely. After a moment or two of silence, she finally, "I was wrong."

Anakin shifted abruptly, bringing his left hand under his head so he could look at her better. He wasn't sure if he heard her right.

"Anakin, we're going to have another."

Anakin did not know what to say. If she had indeed just told him she was pregnant, as he thought she just had, he was not sure how to respond. They had joked about another child in the few years after Jinn, joking that it would be both unbearable and unbelievably difficult with two young children. They had joked about it, but they hadn't even considered in the back of their minds that it might actually happen. Anakin had believed that Luke and Leia were going to be their only children until Jinn had arrived. _He_ had been the surprise, and both Anakin and Padmé had not even entertained the idea of another.

"Please say something, love," Padmé whispered, reaching up to touch his cheek.

"I don't know what to say," he responded softly.

"Are you angry?"

Anakin smiled. "No, Padmé. How could I be angry?"

"Upset?"

"Just surprised, that's all," Anakin replied, reaching out to hold Padmé's hand. "How about you?"

"I don't know," she said softly. "I suppose I'm surprised too. I expected Jinn to be the last hoorah."

Anakin could not help but smile at her choice in words. "We've always welcomed an adventure, haven't we?"

"Even the unexpected ones?" Padmé asked him softly.

"The best adventures are unexpected," he replied.

He watched a small smile spread across Padmé's face.

"I love you so much, you know that?" Anakin told her softly.

Padmé smiled. "Even when I'm big and round with this baby?"

Anakin laughed, placing his hand gently on her womb where their new child was beginning to grow and marveling briefly in the miracle that was taking form there. He met her eyes and smiled, truly content. "I told you I'd love you whatever you looked like."

There was a small pause, and then Padmé said softly, "I found out yesterday morning. Leia knows as well. She was with me."

Anakin looked at her, a bit surprised at the words. He had not expected any of the others to know yet. "What did she say?" he asked.

"She seemed just as surprised as I was," Padmé replied. "She didn't say much." Her smile widened and she added softly, "She told me I'd be a great mother."

A deep chuckle vibrated through Anakin's chest. "You _are_ a great mother," he corrected affectionately. "This little one is lucky to join the family."

A small smile that spread over Padmé's features assured Anakin that she was content with his reaction, and he leaned down to kiss her. It was brief, but it was something of a seal between them that stated their loyalty and love for each other, especially over the next few months. The kiss was Anakin's promise that he'd be there by her side for the pregnancy in its entirety. He would be there for her and the new baby. They were his first priority now.

Content, Padmé turned on her side and Anakin stretched out behind her, wrapping his arm around her stomach. It was only a few minutes before the lovers fell asleep.


	18. Passing on the Legacy

Chapter Eighteen: Passing on the Legacy

_One week later~_

"…Leia, you know I love you, but I don't think it'll be safe until he's caught," Han was telling Leia over the dinner table when Luke entered the room with a datareader in his hands. "And until then, it's not a good idea to go back to Senate."

"Han, Leia," Luke called, causing their heads to snap to him as he entered the room and seated himself. He had the feeling that he was intruding on somewhat of a private conversation, but the news was important. "Have you read the article that just came out?"

They both gave him curious looks, and Leia reached over to take the datareader out of his hand. Han looked over her shoulder as they both read.

"Is this the new press release about the assassination attempt?" Leia asked him.

Luke nodded. "Apparently they've finally identified the slimy bastard," he remarked as both Han and Leia stared at the huge picture identifying the assassin. "Finally the press is coming to their senses."

"Bogdaan Vadim, huh?" Han read, reading the caption underneath. "From the planet Devaron- well, that was what we expected."

"They haven't found his current location yet, though," Luke told them. "They're currently doing searches but no luck so far. Hopefully they'll track him down soon."

"They wouldn't tell the public even if they did know," Leia told him. "It'd be too risky."

"I'd expect they'd let _us_ in the secret, though," Han suggested. "We were the ones that tipped them."

There was a short silence as both Leia and Han continued to read. Finally, after a minute or so, Luke spoke up again.

"The press doesn't yet know his motivation either," Luke told them. "Everyone still thinks it was an assassination attempt on Mothma. They don't even mention the fact that anti-slavery bill was being presented in the Senate."

"The _public_ thinks it was an anti-Mothma," Han corrected him. "Mothma and a few other senators know the truth, and that's what counts. I suppose it'll come out when the danger's over."

"Yes, I doubt they'll expose something like that until there's further evidence. It's too dangerous," Leia agreed with him. "For now, the motivation is unknown."

At that moment, a loud crash echoed from somewhere nearby, startling all three of them. After silence resumed, the three friends looked at one another, baffled.

"What was that?" Leia asked them.

Luke shook his head in confusion, frowning.

The crash echoed again. It was originating from the kitchen. Luke stood, deciding to investigate while Leia and Han looked onward, and headed down the small flight of stairs that led there. When he entered the room, he saw that the kitchen was in disarray, with pans stacked in messy piles on the counters and food all moved to the kitchen table, as if someone was trying to sort out the cabinets and had removed all of its contents. However, there was no one in the room.

Assuming that one of the pans must have fallen on its own, Luke was about to turn around once more when suddenly one of the cabinet doors creaked open. Luke turned back around and frowned at it. He watched as a small set of hands and knees crawled out from inside the cabinets and his younger brother sat himself on the floor of the kitchen, holding a bunch of wires in his fist.

Jinn was thinking aloud as he studied the wires in his hands, not seeming to notice Luke. Then, abruptly, as he seemed to sense a presence in the area, his head snapped up and he locked a gaze with Luke, his eyes turning round and shocked. If Luke didn't know any better, he would say that Jinn's expression looked almost guilty.

"Jinn, what are you doing?" Luke asked him, approaching his younger brother slowly and kneeling beside him.

It took a moment for Jinn to respond, and a bright blush spread across his cheeks. "Building," he answered bashfully.

"What are you building?" Luke asked him, noting the types of wires in Jinn's hands even though Jinn was trying his best to hide them behind his back. They were obviously from some sort of appliance, and Luke reminded himself that he would have to alert Anakin or Padmé before anyone tried cooking, in case if the wires belonged to something vital. Luke moved from his kneeling position to a sitting position, hoping that it would help him seem less frightening to his younger brother.

Jinn seemed to respond positively to Luke's action. "Lightsaber," he told Luke, a hint of pride in his voice.

Luke could not help but smile. His younger brother looked up to their father as a role model; undoubtedly he would want to imitate Anakin in every way. Luke almost envied his younger brother's relationship with their father. Although Luke and Anakin got along very well, Jinn and Anakin's relationship was the father-son relationship that Luke had always craved during his childhood. Jinn also had somewhat of a closer relationship with their father, referring to Anakin as "Daddy" while Luke continued to call him "Father", though more out of habit than anything else. Jinn was so lucky to grow up under both parents. Luke hoped he would never take it for granted.

"Do Mommy and Daddy know where you are?" he asked Jinn. He seriously doubted that they let Jinn wander around the house without at least a bit of supervision.

Jinn shook his head.

"Are they looking for you?"

He shook his head again. "I'm 'posed to be sleeping," he told Luke in surprisingly good pronunciation. "But I don't like nap time."

Luke smiled. "Why don't I show you a few lightsaber moves?" he asked Jinn, trying to draw him out of the kitchen and back under supervision. "You can show Daddy when you see him next."

Jinn's eyes lit up. He seemed to adore anything Jedi, and Luke knew that he was instantly appeased. Stuffing the wires into a pocket, he stood and followed Luke from the kitchen, leaving the mess behind. Luke had to glance a few times to see that Jinn was still following, and then he led him through the dining room, pass Leia and Han, who had resumed their serious previous conversation and hardly seemed to notice their exit, and into the veranda.

Knowing very well that they couldn't use real lightsabers, Luke quickly found two spare metal tubes that seemed lightweight and flimsy enough to not do any damage. When he returned to Jinn and handed him one of the tubes, he told him, "Jinn you have to be careful with these. Jedi never use their weapons on each other or in a destructive manner."

Jinn nodded eagerly, and when Luke was sure that his point had been understood, he proceeded to show Jinn some of the simplest moves he had learned when he was first training under Ben. He found that Jinn was a quick learner, and very motivated to succeed. Because of this, he was a good listener, and tried his very best to imitate the moves Luke was demonstrating.

They had been going for about ten minutes when Jinn broke focus. Halfway through a forward pull, Jinn began grinning at something behind them.

"Daddy!" he called, excited. He dropped his metal tube onto the ground, forgotten, and ran over to Anakin, who was leaning against the wall of the veranda a few paces back and Luke realized must have been watching them for some time.

Anakin, per request of Jinn's outstretched arms, picked his son up and set him on his hip. He smiled widely at Jinn's enthusiastic response, something that warmed Luke's heart. Anakin smiled every so often, but his true smiles were what lit up his face.

"Daddy, did you see us? Daddy, did you see what I did?" Jinn asked Anakin excitedly as Luke approached them with hints of bashfulness. He was unsure what his father's opinion of his casual teaching was, and was unsure if Anakin was okay with the idea of him showing Jinn to fight in the first place.

"I did," Anakin replied, glancing over to Luke with a small smile that seemed to communicate nothing but his gratitude for Luke. "Has your brother been teaching you?"

"Luke and I are best friends," Jinn informed Anakin.

Luke could not help but crack a smile at that, and he noticed that Anakin seemed pleased. "I hope you don't mind, Father," Luke said to Anakin. "I did show him a few blocking moves."

Anakin shook his head. "Thank you Luke," he replied, seeming genuinely pleased. "You two work well together."

Jinn didn't seem to want to listen to the adults' conversation, because he soon squirmed to the ground and raced back over to the metal rod, calling, "Look, Daddy!" and began to try to recreate the moves.

Anakin and Luke stood in silence for a few moments, watching Jinn concentrate, when suddenly Anakin said abruptly to Luke, "I wonder if you'll ever consider taking him as your apprentice. Leia is already beginning –why not Jinn as well?"

Luke, who had not even vaguely entertained the idea, was somewhat taken aback by the suddenness and gravity of such a suggestion. While he was flattered, he had nearly always thought that if Jinn was trained it would be at the hands of Anakin, who was in all ways more advanced and experienced than he was. Anakin was the one who had undergone extensive training, and Luke knew he had already taken a few apprentices of his own throughout his years. "I don't know what to say, Father," he replied. "I thought you might want to train him."

Anakin smiled, his eyes fixed on Jinn's imitation of a blocking move. "It's better if a training relationship is different from a disciplinary relationship," he told Luke, his eyes never leaving Jinn. "While it is possible for a parent to train a child, it is often more effective is the master comes from someone less familiar." He turned his eyes suddenly to Luke, and both sets of blue eyes met. "I believe you are a great Jedi, Luke, and an even better man. We'd be honored if you were to consider."

Luke didn't know how to respond for a few moments, touched more than he could say by his father's honest and genuine words. It was true that he had always wanted an apprentice, and a part of him had been hoping to take part in Jinn's training. Humbled, he chose not to reply directly to his father's words, instead asking, "Isn't he too young?"

Anakin shook his head. "Most Jedi were his age or younger. I was considered too old at the age of nine."

Luke was surprised somewhat to hear this. He had been trained much, much later. That was why Yoda had considered him to be too old; he had been above and beyond traditional Jedi standards.

He watched Jinn leap and bound among the furniture, noting how his brother was already beginning to improvise the moves he had learned with his own knowledge of 'acrobatics'. He was very eager, and Luke knew he would strive to try his hardest; that if anything seemed to be the Skywalker gene in him. Luke knew the boy would be powerful; there was no doubt about it. He could feel the Force potential bounding in waves of energy around Jinn. Then, as the boy turned to glace back at him and Anakin, something inside of Luke seemed to click, and it felt right. He knew he was meant to train him.

"I will take him," Luke said suddenly, softly, and although his gaze never left his brother, he felt his father's eyes flicker sideways to look at him. "I'll take him as my apprentice."


	19. Unexpected Counterattack

Chapter Nineteen: Unexpected Counterattack

Anakin seemed pleased by Luke's statement, and a small smile crept onto his face. "I know you'll do a good job," he said finally in a low voice. "You're a better Jedi than I, Luke. I admire your skill and perseverance."

Luke was once more humbled by his father's words. "Thank you," he said, meaning it with all his heart. Even though Anakin had not always been there throughout his life, Luke still looked up to him and admired his opinion. The comment meant a lot to him. "Shall I tell Jinn?" he asked Anakin.

Anakin smiled. "It's all in your hands now."

It was all in his hands. The thought was a bit unnerving to Luke now that he thought about it. "A part of me is afraid I won't do him justice," he admitted honestly after a beat or two.

Anakin glanced sideways, seeming to notice that Luke was nervous about the idea. "Follow your instinct, and exercise patience. That is the best advice I can give you. The rest flows naturally. You will learn."

Luke nodded, deciding to clear his mind with the Force and banish all of his negative thoughts. Anakin was right; it would be a learning process for both of them, but that wasn't to say it wouldn't work. Luke did not doubt that every Jedi Master must have been in such a situation at one point or another.

Luke stretched out his mind, reaching into the environment. It was calming for him and it set his thoughts at ease, as he felt the waves emanating from each living individual nearby, felt the bright glows of life flow about him…

Suddenly, though he was clearing his mind, Luke became aware of a growing nagging sensation on the back of his consciousness. He frowned, wondering why he was becoming more agitated when he was trying to clear his thoughts. When he could not get rid of it, Luke finally decided to focus on the nagging sensation, and discovered it was something deep in his subconscious, a type of warning.

Luke's frown deepened. It was something vaguely familiar, and drawing closer… a disturbance in the Force. It was some sort of a presence. Coruscant was a big and busy city, so he was used to unfamiliar presences brushing up against his mind, but this one felt different. Dangerous. Almost like the presence of that Devaronian assassin, Bogdaan Vadim-

Something inside of Luke snapped. Just as he registered it, so did Anakin.

"Jinn, get down, now!" barked the suddenly harsh voice of Anakin. Frozen at the unusually biting voice of his father, Jinn turned to look at Anakin, eyes agape. And suddenly, the tidal wave of danger came crashing down on them.

Luke realized what was happening about a beat before it occurred. As Anakin dove to protectively cover Jinn with his body, a shower of blaster lasers suddenly rained towards them, pelting the entire exposed veranda with deadly flood. Luke snatched his lightsaber from his belt and immediately leapt towards the origin of the firing, determined to draw it away from his exposed father and brother, who were closer to the danger. Building security sirens seemed to trigger, and they began to sound, bathing the entire area in a high-pitched wailing noise.

He immediately located the direction of the aiming as the top of a nearby building, where he could see the long tube of a rifle and the dark shape of a figure behind it. There was no doubt about it. It was Vadim. Blessing the Jedi instincts that had likely saved all three of their lives and simultaneously curing the fact that Vadim had discovered their home, Luke whirled his lightsaber around and shouted to Anakin, "Get Jinn out. I'll cover him!"

Anakin did not protest, whisking Jinn up in his embrace, holding the boy close to his chest, and running from the room towards safety.

Although the firing did not cease and Luke and the veranda were immersed in a bath of fire, he continued to block it expertly. He could tell the Devaronian was trying to break through his line of defense through the overwhelming barrage, but Vadim didn't seem to know much about Jedi or their traits. Luke steeled himself against the alarming lasers, even as they ripped apart the furniture and scorched the walls and floor.

Eventually, after about a minute of intense firing, the Devaronian ceased, and Luke could see the distant figure straighten up from his rifle. Luke twisted his lightsaber impatiently, as if to challenge Vadim to continue. His mind was already narrowed onto Vadim, and he was ready to put up a fight to defend his family or a chase if the coward decided to flee.

And, after a beat of silence and still, the world suddenly burst into action. As Vadim moved, so did Luke.

Vadim turned tail, snatching his rifle under his arm, and took off in the opposite direction of the apartment. Knowing he could not allow him to escape, Luke burst after him.

The stairwell of the apartment had a window on its left side that brushed closely with the adjacent building. Knowing this, Luke took off into the apartment, tearing through the foyer until he reached the stairwell. It took him about ten seconds to locate and cut out the window there.

Below the window was a steep drop where the building cut off, and the vicious wind tore at Luke's hair, reminding him of his memories on Bespin's weathervane. Knowing he could not dwell, however, he quickly calculated that there was a ten-meter distance between the apartment and the adjacent building. Gathering his strength, Luke summoned the Force, bunched his muscles, and leapt across. The wind briefly whipped at his clothes as he flew through the air, and when his boots landed heavily on the roof of the adjacent building, he set out on a run in the direction of the disappearing sniper.

He had to leap over two more buildings, distances longer than the first, before he finally caught up with Vadim.

Bogdaan Vadim was on the edge of the rooftop when Luke's boots landed six meters away with a heavy _thud. _Vadim turned around to see Luke twirling his lightsaber in preparation of a confrontation.

"Surrender, Vadim," Luke ordered him, taking few steps closer. They were now four meters apart.

A sneer spread across Vadim's features, and he backed up slowly, his boots just at the edge of the rooftop. Now that they were no longer in the dark Senate, Luke was able to observe the markings upon his face, and he memorized them, burning the picture into his head of the being that had threatened his family. Vadim's lip curled. "Jedi, you will pay for this."

"Exposure?" Luke challenged him, coming closer to the would-be assassin. "Or your failure?"

Vadim did not answer that, taking another small step backwards as his sneer deepened. He didn't have much further to go before he was at risk of plummeting to his death. The rooftop that they were standing on had no place to leap from.

"You will be arrested for your crimes," Luke told him. "They will realize your motives and the bill will be passed anyway."

"Foolish Jedi," Vadim sneered. "We will stop that bill, even if it means killing every member of the Senate."

"You've already failed twice," Luke pointed out. "I wouldn't mess with us."

Vadim took another step backward. At this point, his boots were only half on the rooftop. The heels of his black boots hung in midair. Luke took another step forward, preparing himself to grab at Vadim in case the assassin accidentally – or purposefully – fell. Luke needed Vadim, and he needed him preferably alive.

"This is a warning, Jedi," Vadim continued. "If you continue to get involved in our affairs, we will continue to target you and your family."

Then, before Luke could return the threat, Vadim suddenly leaned backwards, transferring his weight to the backs of his feet. He dropped off the building.

Just as Luke realized what the assassin was trying to do, he lunged forward, trying to grab at Vadim's clothing to keep him there. But Vadim ended up being too heavy, because although Luke's hands were able to grasp at Vadim's shirt and snag something that was tied about his neck, the assassin still ripped from Luke's grasp. With nothing to catch him, he plummeted off the side of the building and down to the bustling city streets below, alit with colorful lights.

Luke was stricken in the shock of Vadim's apparent suicide, but he found he could not tear his eyes away from the plummeting form. Just as Vadim had fallen about three quarters of the way down the building, however, to his astonishment, a shiny black speeder zoomed up beneath the falling assassin and scooped him up from his descent. It then turned tail and took off into the Coruscanti underground. It was gone before Luke had even truly understood what had occurred.

When the shock had rolled over and was replaced by a startling amount of frustration, Luke let out an impressive array of Huttese curse words, so long and colorful that Anakin would have been proud. He growled in frustration. _Shavit! _He had not even gained any clues. The only thing he had managed to snag from the falling body of Vadim were the _kriffing_ few pieces of black fabric and some broken fragments from a sort of cultural necklace.

Luke cursed in disappointment. They had gotten so close once more! He paced around for a minute or so, until he finally set his mind on returning back to his family's apartment to check to see if all were well. He tossed pieces in his hand to the side. There was no way he needed the damn fragments and cloth anyway-

Wait.

A flash of metal caught his eye as he was about to turn, and Luke bent to pick it back up. He turned the necklace in his hand. It was a cultural necklace, obviously, but didn't the different tribes of Devaron have different symbols? Luke turned the pendant between his fingers. It had a strange squiggling design on its surface, and although Luke was no Devaronian expert, he suspected the design had more relevance than he had initially perceived. Perhaps it might help them after all.

Pocketing the memento with a thinking frown, Luke started back home.


	20. Tracing the Origins of a Ghost

Chapter Twenty: Tracing the Origins of a Ghost

As Luke's absence lengthened, Padmé's anxiety gradually built and heightened, driven by that same fierce maternal protectiveness of all nurturing species. She had already herded Jinn into the safest portion of their home, her and Anakin's bedroom, and had, after a frantic scan for possible bodily injury, insisted on keeping him close to her. Even after Anakin had insisted that the area was safe, cleared by the arrival of the Republic safety officers, she had refused to leave the bedroom until they had discovered what had become of Vadim. She knew in the back of her mind that she was slightly overreacting, but with all the confusion in the air, she was determined to keep her family all in one space until she herself was certain that they were all safe.

"Padmé," Anakin told her for the third time, gently pushing her back onto the bed when she stood once more to pace. "Please, don't stress yourself." She knew that his concern was for the child she carried, but she felt too anxious to sit still. Knowing he was just as worried as she was, however, for his sake she simply clutched Jinn closer to her chest and sank back onto the bed.

"Mother, he'll be back in a moment or so," Leia told her from the other side of the room, where she and Han had been sitting in relative silence. Both seemed shocked by the entire ordeal. "Father and I both sense it. He's alive and well."

Padmé did not doubt her daughter's or her husband's abilities, but she still knew that she needed to see Luke with her own eyes before she could begin to calm. "I won't relax until I see him," Padmé insisted softly, gently rubbing Jinn's back to soothe the frightened child.

"He's capable," Anakin said, although Padmé could read him well enough to know that he was just as worried as she was.

Padmé nodded in response, laying her cheek against Jinn's head of blond curls and breathing in the scent to comfort herself. Jinn had only calmed in the past five minutes; he had been utterly overwhelmed and confused when Anakin had rushed him to safety and it had taken a while to quiet him. Now, however, he was strangely silent, clinging to Padmé as if she was his lifeline. Occasionally Padmé could feel him shift or hear him sniffle, but for the most part his head just remained buried in her neck.

"He's back," Leia said suddenly, causing them all to shift in surprise. Padmé felt her anxiety, which was already set on edge, suddenly build again. She didn't know what state he would be in. She didn't know if he was injured, if he had confronted the assassin, if he was returning in pain…

When Luke finally entered the room where they were all waiting, Padmé stood up in a rush of relief and hurried over to him, embracing him in as tight of a one-armed hug as she could manage with Jinn in her arms. Luke seemed a bit surprised by the abruptness, but he did not protest, instead allowing Padmé to do what she needed to comfort herself.

"Luke, what happened?" Leia inquired almost immediately, heading over to her brother to check him, much like what Padmé had done.

As Padmé released Luke, he shot her a brief apologetic glance. "…I chased him down," he answered them finally, though the slight sigh in his voice suggested that he had once more not been successful.

"And…" prompted Leia.

Luke shook his head. "When I had finally cornered him, he jumped off the side of the building we were on."

"He _jumped?_" Han echoed, disbelief in his voice.

"There was a speeder waiting for him below," Luke explained. "He escaped."

Padmé could sense the general annoyance in the room, and although no one commented on what had been their second failed attempt to capture Vadim, she could see obvious frustration in their expressions.

"Then this whole idea of hiding is pointless," Han finally said, anger in his words. "He knows where Leia is now. He could hunt us all down and silence us all for good. And now that we're all involved, we're all at risk now, not just Leia."

"I believe he feels threatened by us mostly because we were the ones to do the initial investigations," Luke said suddenly, and Padmé realized he was probably drawing from a conversation he must have shared with Vadim. "We were the ones to interpret the explosion at the Provisional Dinner as more than a gas leak. We were the ones to warn Mothma about the attack in the Senate, and when her security failed, to stop the attempt."

"Which means we're even more at risk," finished Han aggressively. "Perhaps it would be a better course of action to find somewhere else to go into hiding."

"Mothma contacted me," Anakin began suddenly, causing all heads to swivel towards him in surprise. Mothma contacting ex-Darth Vader? Since when had they been close enough to talk with one another? Did Mothma even know of his past identity? Anakin didn't seem to realize their confusion, however, and continued speaking, unperturbed, "With proof of an attack, she says they've gotten clearance to put high security around this building for Leia's protection and the safety of the entire family. The security has been increased for all the bill's writers, in case of any follow-up attempts. If anything, it would be a better idea to remain here."

There was a brief silence as all seemed to consider his words.

"How will we ever move on from here?" Leia finally asked them. "We still don't have any leads; Vadim will undoubtedly be more cautious from now on, and even with the help of the Republic's security forces, it is unlikely we will be able to track a professionally-trained killer." She paused, looking up at them with a solemn glint in her eye. "We have already confirmed that the people behind the plot have been known to switch assassins, as we saw with Mara Jade. We no longer know who to expect, when or where we can expect them, and whom they will strike next."

"I have something that may help us," Luke suddenly said, breaking the silence. All heads turned towards him, reading the slight change of tone in his voice. "It might not be able to help us trace the organization behind this whole plot, but it at least might be able to help us track Vadim."

The others looked at him curiously as he reached into the pocket of his black pants and pulled out a metal pendant hanging on a silver wire. To Padmé it appeared to be a necklace of some sort.

"When Vadim was falling, I managed to catch hold of this," Luke explained to them. "I believe it may be a cultural design of a sort."

They all stared at pendant swaying from Luke's fist for a moment, each memorizing the strange etchings on the metal. As Padmé stared at the unfamiliar pendant, she was reminded of her own pendant, the one that Anakin had given to her so many years ago. Her japor snippet, the one she still wore close to her heart to this day. She wondered vaguely if Vadim's pendant held the same value to him.

"Devarons have specific tribes within their government," Leia explained to Luke.

"And each tribe has a specific symbol," Padmé finished, sensing what Leia was about to say. "This pendant could easily represent the specific symbol of his tribe."

"Perhaps it represents a tribe, yeah," Han pointed out, "But how many tribes are there?" When Padmé and Leia looked at him in confusion, he continued further, "If there are only a few in number, it will still be nearly impossible to track down-"

"There aren't," interrupted Leia, and Han's gaze snapped to her. "Their tribes are an equivalent to families. There are numerous tribes, and without a doubt, if we track this one down, we will be able to find his birthplace…"

"But the organization of Devaron is completely matriarchal," Anakin suddenly pointed out, drawing all faces towards him. "The males rarely return home. Even if his birthplace was to be found, there is little certainty that he even has close relatives there and even less possibility that he has been there recently or has been in touch with them."

They were silent for a moment. Leia appeared to be very put off by Anakin's argument.

"It's the best lead we have," Luke finally said, shrugging. "Chances are that the pendant was of value to him. He would not have worn it if he had not felt some connection to his home."

There was another silence; then, finally, Han's perturbed voice spoke up.

"This involves more database searching, doesn't it?" he asked moodily, seeming to already know the answer. Padmé knew he was referring to five years ago when he, Anakin, and Luke had searched an entire Imperial database during Leia's kidnapping. She also got the feeling that research was not one of Han's favorite hobbies.

"Yep," Luke replied with a small sigh.

"_Kriff_."


	21. An Expanding Family

Chapter Twenty-One: An Expanding Family

"I like the blue script," Leia told Padmé as they flipped through the samples of wedding place cards in Leia's bedroom the following day. The veranda was still damaged from the previous day's excitement, so they had transferred to a different location to continue their wedding planning. "I'll have to confirm with Han, but I think he agreed that he'd prefer a lighter color."

"Your wedding's still in eight months," Padmé replied soothingly as Leia watched her compare the curly blue script to the previously selected tablecloth colors. "You'll have plenty of time to worry about things like this in the future." She shot Leia a fond glance.

Leia smiled, feeling her cheeks blush slightly at all the attention that was being set on her decisions. All the talk about the upcoming event, however far in advance it seemed at the time, made her excited.

"Soon you'll have to start looking at wedding dresses," Padmé said with a small smile as Leia gathered the sample cards up and set them beside them on the couch.

Leia smiled as she considered her mother's excitement. It was the first wedding in their immediate family, and Leia could tell she loved the anticipation as much as Leia did. "What style did you go with?" Leia asked her, wondering how her mother had looked in her wedding dress.

Padmé looked at her suddenly. "Haven't you ever seen holos of my wedding?"

Leia shook her head, not knowing that her mother even had holos of their wedding. The only thing Leia knew about their wedding was that it had been a private ceremony, kept quiet to guard the reputation of both Anakin and Padmé.

"I'll have to show you sometime," Padmé replied. "It was a lace gown. I was lucky enough to get one at such late notice, but I loved it the moment I set eyes on it-"

"Got it!" Han's voice finally announced in victory, interrupting Padmé's words. He entered the bedroom, his eyes glued to the datapad in his hands as he hastily hurried to the couch where Leia and Padmé were seated. He looked above and beyond excited.

Leia and Padmé's heads snapped up to look at him, and Leia instantly knew what he was referring to. He, Anakin, and Luke had been researching relentlessly through the night, trying to gather all the information they could about the family tribes of Devaron

"Look," Han said smugly, pressing both the datapad and Vadim's pendant into Leia's hands. Leia turned the datapad around so the image was the right side up, and peered at the image that Han had enlarged for better viewing.

Leia peered at it, and then glanced at the pendant in her hand. They didn't match. "Han, these aren't the same."

"What!" Han snatched the datapad back and began to grumble angrily to himself, "I spent three damn hours trying to match this kriffing_ choker_ and it's the wrong-!" He stopped abruptly, his anger vanishing, and he stared at the screen. He squinted for a moment, and then handed the datapad back to Leia. "Worship, you just pressed one of the buttons and switched the image," he informed her.

Leia rolled her eyes. She had done no such thing. "You mean you did," she returned sardonically as she began to examine the image. As she stared at the image, she could already see that it was very similar to the pendant. At closer look, examining all of the grooves and markings on the metal. "It looks-"

"Identical?" Han filled in smugly. He raised his eyebrows and looked at her pointedly. "You can thank me later."

Leia blushed when she realize the hint inside Han's words and prayed that her mother beside her hadn't picked up the implications. She probably had. Although Leia knew very little about her parents' romantic relationship, she suspected that they used the same verbal hints to play around with each other. "I was going to say that it looks surprisingly intricate," she finished.

Han looked doubtful and slightly offended.

"And you found the tribe that matches this symbol?" she asked him.

"Of course I did," he replied. "Look on the previous page. It has all the information on the tribe, all the family information, the location of their home…"

It was truly all there. The information seemed to be a census of some sort, and it provided all the information Luke, Han, and Anakin would need to travel there and find Bogdaan Vadim's family. Suddenly, the whole gravity of the situation came crashing down on Leia. Now that they had truly found the information, Han, Luke, and Anakin would be leaving soon for Devaron. And who knew how long they might be there. They would be combing through the planet, trying to track down the family, probing Vadim's family for information… It could be as long as a month. Perhaps longer. Could Leia wait as long as a month in their absence with the wedding approaching? With Padmé's baby coming soon? The time was ticking down for both. And even if the wedding could be moved, a birth could not. Leia sighed. A part of her knew that her reluctance for them to go was motived by selfishness. She had a right to be worried, though. Who knew how the planet would receive them? Devaronians were known to be less-than-friendly to outsiders or those who threatened them. And who was to say that the government itself wasn't involved in the entire scandal? Everything that they were going off of was vague and tentative, both of which would cost them a great deal, and in more ways than one.

Leia looked at him, trying not to sound selfish about it. "You're going, then?"

Han looked at her, as if sensing her tentativeness but unsure how to respond. "I suppose so."

"What about planning for the wedding?"

Han seemed to realize her hesitation. "I thought we agreed this was more important."

It was, a part of Leia agreed. There was a greater cause, for the safety of those who were at risk, as well as the eventual freedom of the slaves that still existed. But it still didn't set her at ease. It just seemed irresponsible for them to leave when there was only a vague fact to lead them there. It seemed irresponsible when there were duties at home that needed to be upheld. Mainly: the caring for Jinn, the arrival of the new baby, the approaching wedding…. "We could convince Mothma to send out spies to investigate," Leia offered. If they were to make certain that it would lead them to the assassin, perhaps then things would be more final, less uncertain. Because right now, more than anything, she needed finality. "Perhaps you won't have to."

Just then, Luke and Anakin entered the room, interrupting what might have become a Leia and Han argument.

"Father tells me you found it, Han?" Luke asked him, obvious enthusiasm in his voice.

"Yeah," Han replied, passing the datapad over to Luke.

"Well," Luke said, breaking the silence after he had scanned the datapad information over quickly and noted the information. "When do we leave?" He looked up at the others, waiting for a reply from Han and Anakin.

Han and Anakin were both silent for a few moments, and Leia knew they were both reluctant to answer that question. Anakin's eyes flickered to Padmé, but no one broke the silence until Luke began to frown, realizing something was amiss.

"…I take it that we're not going with the original plan…?" Luke trailed off, obviously looking for explanation. There was another uncomfortable pause.

Finally, it was Anakin who spoke. "Umm," he began awkwardly, clearing his throat. "Actually, your mother and I have something to tell you all."

Leia knew what was coming, but she could tell that Luke and Han did not. Both were looking at Anakin closely, deep frowns etched on their features. Anakin was usually very put-together, in both words and behavior, and therefore it was very odd for them to see him appear so uncomfortable. Suddenly, as he opened his mouth to continue, the abrupt touch of Padmé's hand on his arm stopped him.

"Ani," she interrupted him – sternly, but softly enough that they knew the words were meant for Anakin only. "If you feel it's right, then I'll be okay for a few weeks waiting for you."

Anakin looked towards her, seeming surprised to hear it. He shook his head, however, and replied softly, "Padmé, I told you I'd prefer to be here with you. This is where I feel I should be. Where I want to be."

Padmé's eyes softened, hearing the sincerity in his tone, and she nodded, taking her hand from Anakin's arm and smoothing her dress in self-consciousness.

Anakin turned his attention back to the others. "You all may as well sit down," Anakin told them, his blunt tone addressing them directly. "You're just making us nervous."

Glancing at one another briefly, Luke and Han stiffly sat, their suspicion and anticipation growing. Leia sat beside Han, watching her parents just as carefully as her brother and fiancé.

Anakin took a deep breath and a small, nervous smile suddenly bloomed unbidden on his lips now that the moment was upon them. "Do you want to tell them?" he asked Padmé with a nervous smile.

Taking pity on her husband, Padmé turned her attention to Luke and Han, her own smile spreading over her lips. "It was rather unexpected," she began as she glanced briefly at Anakin. Her smile grew. "But we found out a little over a week ago that we're going to have another baby."

Shock accompanied her words, and Leia quickly noted that both Luke and Han looked shocked.

"Are- are you sure?" Luke asked her.

Padmé smiled at the awkward question, knowing it was coming from his shock and surprise more than anything. "Quite sure, Luke," she assured him.

"…Well, congratulations, then," Luke replied, a smile breaking out over his features, as he seemed to register her words. "Wow," he added, his smile widening. "Do you know if it's a girl or boy?"

Padmé laughed at that, and Anakin spared a smile. "Much too early to tell," she replied. "And even so, we prefer a surprise."

"When's the baby due?" Han asked her. "Around the time of the wedding? Eight months?"

"The baby should be here before then," Padmé assured him. "But yes, around the time of the wedding."

"…You didn't plan that?"

Padmé laughed. "Not at all. But I assure you that everything else is going to happen as planned."

There was silence again as they seemed to drink in her words.

"This is why I've decided to stay," Anakin told Han and Luke, after their attention had turned towards him. "I'd prefer to be here with your mother, especially when the length of the mission is indeterminable."

Luke nodded slowly, seeming to accept Anakin's reasoning. Something did not seem to rest in his eyes, however.

"Leia brought up a point about mentioning what we've found to Mothma," Han added after a slight pause, glancing sideways at Leia. "Perhaps she can issue some agents to investigate. They'll be able to relate back what they know, and we can go from there."

Anakin and Luke nodded.

"…In that case, I'd prefer to stay as well," Luke admitted. He glanced around to each family member. "Perhaps it is best that the mission is passed on to other capable hands."

There was general nodding in assent, and Leia found herself relaxing. She was relieved that they had finally decided on one course of action that would not end up splitting their family, and the others seemed to be as well. As she looked towards Luke for his opinion on the matter, however, she suddenly observed with concern the subtle dropping of his eyes when the others were not looking, as if Luke was disturbed about something. Perhaps it was doubt about their decision. Perhaps it was conflicting emotions about the new baby. The reaction passed so quickly, however, that soon Leia wondered if she had really seen it. Labeling it as nothing, Leia pushed the thought from her mind.

"Very well, then," she said finally. "I'll tell Mon tomorrow."


	22. Built on Trust

Chapter Twenty-Two: Built on Trust

After the family had exchanged pleasantries and had offered congratulations all around, they one by one cleared from the room, returning to their usual activities. As Anakin watched them go, however, he could not help but notice the quiet pensiveness of Luke. Even though Luke had been very enthusiastic initially about the idea of another sibling, he had grown progressively quieter as the conversation continued, so quiet that it had drawn Anakin's attention. Although Anakin had originally assumed the quiet pensiveness was because Luke was reevaluating the original plan to go on the mission to Devaron, when Luke's mood did not seem to alter by the closing of the topic, Anakin slowly realized that something greater must be bothering Luke. As he stretched his mind toward his son's, so carefully shielded and guarded, he could sense faint sensations of discomfort and worry. They were such slight emotions in Luke's mind, so carefully blocked from his outward features, that if he and Luke had not shared the Force bond that they did, Anakin didn't think he would have been able to sense the emotions at all. But they were reasons to cause Anakin concern. Why would his son be trying to hide such feelings?

Anakin's immediate assumption was that it had been the news of the baby. He didn't know why it had bothered Luke; he doubted that Luke had a problem with the baby itself, but the news had probably caused him to remember or dwell on something he was sensitive about.

Concerned enough to decide to check on him and knowing he had probably headed to the balcony to train with Jinn or to meditate, Anakin parted from Padmé a quick kiss and a smile and immediately headed downstairs.

He found his son exactly where he had expected to find him. Luke always seemed to return to Jedi ways when things were bothering him, and he was not surprised to see Luke meditating cross-legged on the floor of the balcony. Jinn did not seem to be anywhere in sight, leading Anakin to believe that he was still having his afternoon nap.

"I thought you might come to find me," Luke said to Anakin without turning around. "I sensed your concern."

Anakin was slightly surprised to hear this, not expecting his son to be that attuned to his own emotions, but he did not express it. He was silent for a moment, trying to form his thoughts before he addressed his son. He did not know quite what to say.

"What's bothering you, Luke?" he asked him softly, coming to sit closer to Luke. He made sure to keep a distance between them, in case Luke was unwilling to talk. The last thing he wanted to do was to push him.

When Luke did not immediately reply, Anakin questioned him softly, "Is it about the new baby?"

That finally got Luke's eyes to open. He turned his head to look at Anakin. Anakin could feel Luke studying him, as if trying to read his intent. Anakin made sure to keep his emotions and expressions blank, waiting for Luke to reply from himself. After a few seconds, Luke finally replied softly, "Not directly." He waited a moment, and then turned his head back, waiting for a response from Anakin.

"Luke," Anakin began. "I know it must be different – odd, in a way – that your mother and I are having other children." He paused, forming his words carefully. "I don't want you to think…" He stopped here, slowing his words down and beginning the phrase over. "I know I haven't always been there for you, Luke. I wasn't there for your birth. I wasn't present during your childhood, during your adolescent years. I was never a constant presence in your life. …And when I was in your life, I was anything but a positive figure for you. It was quite the opposite. You were the positive figure for me." He paused once more, seeing Luke open his eyes once more and turn his head to look at him. Internally, he prayed that he was saying the right words. "Luke, I don't want you to think that your mother and I are in any way trying to recreate the years we missed with you and Leia. We're not trying to replace you. We're not trying to start over. We've built on the years, not erased them, however bad they previously were." Anakin took a deep breath, feeling slightly silly for his long and emotional speech. "I guess I just want you to know that your mother and I will love all our children equally, no matter what has happened or is to happen." He looked at Luke, waiting for his son to respond.

Luke looked down in his lap, a small smile spreading across his face. "Father, I know that. I never doubted that." He looked up at Anakin, smiling something that was somewhat of a smirk.

Anakin was taken aback briefly. Then the irritation seeped in. "Then why did you make me go through that long and sappy lecture?" he demanded.

Luke chuckled. "I kind of enjoyed it."

Anakin just rolled his eyes. At least his son had gotten some comfort out of it.

"I'm not bothered by the idea of you and mother having other children," Luke said, his voice suddenly serious once more. "I guess I'm just wondering when it will be my turn."

"Having children?" Anakin was briefly surprised. He had not known that Luke had wanted children.

Luke shook his head. "Not necessarily," he replied, trailing off a bit. "It's just that Leia's getting married, you and mother are happily settled, having children, and I still haven't even met anybody yet. It's childish to compare myself, I know, but sometimes I can't help it."

Anakin was unsure how to reply at first, understanding completely what Luke was saying but not having a good response. "What about Briar? Leia says you two were courting?"

Luke shook his head, looking down, and Anakin instantly berated himself internally for bringing it up. "I don't like her like that," Luke answered softly. "I called it off a week ago."

Anakin was silent, secretly surprised at the knowledge. From his understanding, they had had some chemistry, but apparently he had been wrong. "There's no rush to find someone," he finally said to his son. "If it's meant to happen, you'll find each other. You'll be able to sense that it's right."

"Is that what happened with you and mother?" Luke asked him.

Anakin could not help but chuckle. Not really. Padmé had pushed him off and rejected him multiple times before she had finally confessed her love. And even then, their road together had been extremely rocky. How many times had he been away or separated from her, or had one of them been in trouble? "I guess you could say so," he answered. "Your mother didn't want to pursue it, at first at least."

He saw Luke's interest pique, and Luke asked him, "She didn't like you at first?"

Anakin shook his head. "Perhaps not. But the main reason was that I was studying to become a Jedi and she was a Senator. Her reasoning was that it wouldn't work."

"And Jedi forbade such relationships," Luke finished, and Anakin was reminded he had heard the story before.

"Yes," Anakin replied. "But when she gave in, it felt right." It had felt right. Something had just clicked that day on Geonosis, even though they were about to be executed. Somehow, he had not felt afraid, knowing that she was with him, by his side. Bringing himself back to the present, Anakin glanced sideways, and saw that Luke was looking at him with an amused expression on his face. "What?" he asked indignantly. Here he was being serious and Luke was teasing him again.

Luke just chuckled and shook his head, brushing off whatever he had been amused about. Anakin just smiled at the boy's amusement, not bothered that Luke was teasing him. It just felt good knowing that they had a strong enough relationship now to tease one another and feel comfortable in one another's presence. It had not always been that way.

They were silent for a moment, just bathing in one another's presences and enjoying the setting sun. Then, after a minute of peace, Luke broke the silence.

"Well, where do we go from here?" he asked Anakin, staring ahead at the city of Coruscant. His tone was serious once more.

Realizing he was talking about the development of the assassination attempt, Anakin sobered and replied, "Patience, I suppose. If Leia contacts Mothma, I do not doubt she will send out scouts right away. Hopefully they'll grasp some useful information, or at least track down some of Vadim's relatives."

Luke nodded slowly. "So it's just waiting now."

Anakin glanced at him. He could hear the slight disappointment in his voice, the same disappointment that accompanied sitting around while others participated in action. It was a small hint of disappointment, but Anakin knew Luke was hiding it well. Luke was more like him than he realized. Anakin smiled. Padmé had always said so. "We have plenty to do here," he replied.

Luke looked at him. "Of course. I'm planning on continuing Jinn's lesson on meditation. After he wakes up on his nap, of course."

Anakin chuckled. "I'm not sure if he'll want to sit still." Unfortunately, Jinn was like him in that aspect too.


	23. A Dead End

Chapter Twenty-Three: A Dead End

_One week later~_

"Jinn, _sit_ still," Luke instructed him for the fourth time since they had begun meditation. And for the fourth time, he opened his eyes to see Jinn shifting uncomfortably beside him.

Jinn gave him a bashful, embarrassed look. "…m'fresher," he told Luke.

Luke groaned internally. The four-year-old had little to no concentration… Well, that was to be expected, perhaps. He was only four. And Anakin had assured him that padawans usually grew out of it. After all, every Jedi Master probably had to at one point of another handle a hyperactive padawan, and all _those_ padawans had all managed to grow out of it. When Luke had teasingly asked his father if Anakin ever had, however, for some reason Anakin had not seemed to hear him… Luke sighed. Well, Jinn _was_ his child after all. And Luke knew he had been the same way once.

Luke glanced at his chrono. They _had_ been sitting there for twenty minutes; that was probably the reason why. Luke turned to Jinn. "Very well," he told Jinn, but before the child could spring up, he told him, "We're resuming in a fifteen minutes."

Jinn did not seem to be bothered, and he scampered off, so happy that Luke began to suspect that he had never needed to use the fresher in the first place.

Leia met Luke as he headed off the balcony, frowning at Jinn as he raced past her. "Where's he headed?" Leia asked Luke curiously.

Luke just shook his head, exasperated. "I decided to give him a break," he told her. "He's getting restless."

Leia smiled at that, watching the boy disappear with a fond spark in her eye, and then turned her attention back to Luke, her expression serious once more. "Just thought I'd let you know that the workers are still fixing up the veranda. Mother told me to let you know in case you planned to meditate there later."

"They're staying longer today?" Luke asked her as they headed off the balcony.

"Mother's eager for the area to be fixed up," Leia replied. "I'm getting the sense that it's her favorite room. She has them working overtime to restore the area."

Luke nodded, making sure to store that thought in the back of his mind, as he had been planning to head there later today. It seemed he might not get that chance now. As they passed by the stairs leading to the kitchen, Luke could see Anakin and Han seated a little ways off, obviously engaged in a serious conversation. "How's training going for you?" he asked her.

Leia nodded, seeming to note Anakin and Han as well. Her eyes flickered from them to him. "Well, dare I say we're progressing faster than you and Jinn?" She gave him a teasing look.

Luke just rolled his eyes. "He's only four. And you have ten times his concentration."

"Only ten times?" Leia laughed at him.

Luke just smiled good-naturedly, enjoying the banter. The two turned to join Anakin and Han, intending to discover what they were discussing.

Han and Anakin looked up when Luke and Leia approached. Apparently they had been deep in a serious conversation, because both brows were furrowed with thought. Both also looked slightly annoyed, though with one another or with what they were discussing Luke was unsure.

"Are we interrupting?" Luke asked them when they had reached them.

Han shook his head. "No," he said, moving over so they could join him. The twins sat, and Han began to relate to them what they were discussing. "Mothma contacted me today."

Leia seemed surprised to hear this. Mothma usually was more in touch with her than Han, so it was curious that Mothma had contacted Han instead of Leia.

"While you were training, Leia," Han explained, seeming to know exactly what Leia was most likely thinking. "She said it was important, so when she could not reach you, she called me instead."

"What did she say?" Leia asked him.

"That's what we were discussing," Han told her, his hands briefly passing over his face and his eyebrows furrowing in serious thought. "It's not particularly good news. In fact, frustrating more than anything."

"News about the scouts?" Leia asked him.

Han nodded. "Apparently their report came in today."

"And?" Leia prodded him, when Han seemed to fall back into pensive silence.

"Nothing," he replied. "They tracked down Vadim's family. Apparently they're all dead. He does not have any relatives."

"None?" echoed Luke in surprise. How was it possible that Vadim had no relatives at all? They had all been killed off? By whom? And why? Was that a coincidence?

"The entire family was killed by Imperials years ago," Han explained, as if he expected that would be the next question they would ask. "Long before the Empire had even fallen. Apparently no one knows why."

Luke tapped his finger impatiently on the arm of his chair. It didn't make any sense. It felt like the millionth dead end they had encountered. But where could they even go from here? Even after all their hard work, now they not only had lost the assassin, but they had also lost all chances of uncovering his past, exposing those he was working for, or revealing the plot lying behind the whole affair.

"Mothma said that her scouts apparently found the Devaronian government reluctantly cooperative," Han added, though the tone of his voice implied that the fact was of little or no consequence. "Reluctant to the point of near passive aggression."

"They probably see the investigation as an invasion of privacy," Leia remarked. "Devaron is one of the planets opposed to the idea of an anti-slave bill. They probably believe that we suspect them in a plot, especially when one of the assassins is a native there."

Luke glanced at her curiously, her words striking him as odd. "Why would they be opposed to such a bill? They have no slaves on their planet. The bill shouldn't even affect them."

Leia shook her head. "It's all a mystery to us all. Different planets have different agendas, I suppose."

Suddenly, Luke was struck with a startling thought. "_Could_ they be involved in the whole plot?" Luke asked her.

Leia frowned and shook her head. "As I said, Devaron has no slaves, so unless its inhabitants are indirectly affected by the passing of the bill, they shouldn't have strong feelings one way or the other."

"It just seems suspicious," Luke remarked, continuing his point. "Why would they care if they don't have slaves? It doesn't affect their trading, only the trading of planets that still participate in slave labor. Do they have secret hordes of slaves? Maybe they're hiding illegal-"

"They're not," Han cut in. "Mothma says her scouts confirmed that their planet does not participate in any slave trading or trafficking."

"But that could take many months to confirm," Luke interrupted. "Not a week."

Han just rolled his eyes impatiently. "Luke, I think you're blowing this out of proportion," Han told him. "An assassin could have come from any planet. Mara Jade isn't even from Devaron. You're placing blame on a planet that coincidentally _happens_ to be the native planet of an assassin."

"That also _happens_ to have a mysterious opinion on a new bill," Luke returned impatiently.

Han and Leia looked uncomfortable, and Anakin's eyes flickered from them to Luke, as if considering both sides. Han finally spoke again, replying in a softer tone, "Look, kid, I just don't think we should make assumptions about what we don't know."

"We don't have anything else to go off of!" Luke exclaimed. He could not help it; he was beginning to get frustrated. They were virtually stranded, without any leads, and his sister and Han were shutting down everything that he proposed. Why couldn't they seem to see what he was seeing?

When the others did not reply, Luke did not continue, knowing that his emotions were driving him. He worked to soothe himself and clear his mind. They couldn't get _anywhere _if they continued to argue and disagree.

"Look, kid," Han finally said, breaking the silence. "I'm sorry. We're going to do everything we can. We're all frustrated here."

Luke just exhaled quietly. Han was right. "I know," he said softly.

There was another length of silence as the four seemed to consider the implications of their situation.

"What do we do now?" Leia asked Han.

Han just shook his head, and Anakin answered for him, "We were talking about that as well before you and Luke arrived. There is nowhere to go from here, unless Vadim makes another appearance. We suspect he won't, at least not for a while. Not while security at the Senate is doubled."

"That reminds me," Han interjected, directing his words to Leia. To Luke's surprise, he watched as a small smile spread across Han's face, clearing the wrinkles and worry from Han's forehead. "You'll be happy to hear this, Leia. Mothma says that you're able to return to the Senate. She invited you to return now that the area is safe."

Leia's face brightened substantially. "She said that?"

Han gave a lopsided smirk at the joy in Leia's eyes, seeming secretly pleased that Leia had brightened up. "You may have missed the presentation of the bill, but you will be able to be there when it's voted upon."

"Granted it's still safe," Anakin added firmly, and although his words were directed at Leia, their firmness caused all eyes to flicker to him. His tone softened a bit as he continued, but his voice still retained its solemnity. "I still don't like the idea with the assassin running around, but if it's your wish, Leia, we will support you in returning to the Senate."

Although she still carried her usual dignity that prevented her from allowing her emotions to rule her actions, Luke knew Leia well enough to know she was secretly thrilled, and that caused him to smile. Even if they never found the assassin or exposed the plot, at least they could be happy with what they had.


	24. Prelude to the Storm

Chapter Twenty-Four: Prelude to the Storm

_Five Months Later~_

Luke growled with impatience as he knocked for the third time on Leia's apartment door. He didn't know why she was taking such a long time, but they needed to leave for their parents' apartment… Luke glanced at his chrono… ten minutes ago. He was growing sick of the hallway outside Leia's apartment door.

"Leia, it's just Mother and Father!" he called inside. "It's not a Senate dinner!"

"I can't find something that goes with these pants!" called an anguished voice from inside. The door of Leia's apartment swung open, revealing a distraught Leia clothed in tight-fitting underclothes and waving around a pair of black pants.

Luke flinched at the sight of his sister in what was obviously sleep clothes or underwear and immediately looked away. "I don't know, Leia," he replied, suddenly fascinated by the interesting light fixture on the hallway ceiling. He didn't know why Leia was having such a hard time picking out something to wear. Usually she was pretty good with being prompt… It was probably the wedding planning that was stressing her out. It was, after all, in three months. "Father says lightsaber practice today. Just wear something you can move easily in."

"They're so… damn… constricting!" Leia retorted, frustrated, waving them around impatiently. She spun away with a frustrated growl to go change, but Luke could hear her voice calling back impatiently, "I can move easier _naked_ than wearing any of _these_!"

"Hear, hear!" came another voice from the apartment, just out of sight. Was that… Han? Suddenly, the ex-smuggler passed through Luke's range of sight, wearing nothing but… boxers?

"Han, what the _kriff_ are you doing here?" Luke snapped.

Han shrugged, a lopsided smirk on his features. "Arrived just before you did," he replied smugly.

"Like _hell _you didn't!" Luke retorted angrily.

Han shrugged, grabbing his pants, which had been slung over one of the living room couches. "Look, kid, we _are_ getting married-"

Luke stopped him there, growing even more irritated as images passed through his mind that he never wanted to see again. "Han, I don't want to hear it!"

Han just grinned, but he was silent as he worked on pulling his pants on.

Luke took a deep breath, closing his eyes. "Leia, we're going to be late!"

"No worries," Han said as he grabbed his shirt and pulled it over his head, leaving his hair ruffled and scruffy. "I have a speeder that we can use."

Luke looked curiously at him. "I brought mine," he told Han.

"Yours is probably parked all the way down at the other lot." Han shrugged. "I was hoping we could take mine so your father could look at it. I'm having some difficulties with its engine or something."

"Is it a good idea to fly it, then?"

Han waved it off. "Yeah, it should be fine."

"Whatever, Han," Luke dismissed impatiently, letting out a long sigh. Anything to get them out of the door. "Just… let's hurry up."

It was about five minutes later when Luke finally herded them out of the door, as they bickered all the while. They then packed into Han's speeder and set off for the short flight to their parents' apartment.

* * *

Padmé probably would have been more interested in getting up if her bed was not so warm and comfortable. In the back of her mind, she knew that the twins and Han were coming at some point this morning for training. But the other half of her told her that she could afford to sleep; they needed Anakin for training, not her. …Anakin, who was still asleep beside her, his arm slung lazily over her. Sometimes it was nice having their home back, because of the general quiet and privacy, but other times Padmé missed seeing their children as much.

The twins and Han had moved back to their own apartments shortly after Mothma's call close to five months ago. Assured that the security would be tight until the assassin was caught, the twins and Han had decided to return to their normal lives. And although a part of Padmé was disappointed that they were seeing their children less, the twins and Han consistently visited for Jedi training or wedding planning, so they had not completely vanished from the face of the planet.

Other than the twins and Han moving out, little else had progressed during the five months. Wedding planning had continued, and now that the wedding was happening in three months, Leia and Han were actively working to set up for the big day. The anti-slave bill was to be voted on in one month, but so far the drama had been down in the Senate and there had been no hints of any assassination threats, due to Mothma's tight security and information network. And Padmé and Anakin had been taking life slowly, especially now that Padmé was entering her third trimester of pregnancy. At seven months, she was beginning to slow down and turn her thoughts towards assembling the coming baby's room. Leia and Jinn were continuing their individual trainings, and had both improved immensely.

And speaking of, it was about time Anakin got up. The twins and Han were due in ten minutes. And although Padmé expected they would be late – they nearly always were – she still didn't want them to catch her and Anakin unready.

Mustering up the energy when she felt so warm and comfortable in Anakin's embrace, Padmé murmured sleepily, "Ani, they're are going to be here soon."

There was a deep rumbling noise of acknowledgement in his chest, but it took a full minute before he began to shift beside her. She felt his hand, which had been wrapped around her, brush affectionately against her arm and back, and then come to rest on her rounded belly. With his hand there, Padmé could feel the child growing there begin to stir, and soon a flutter of kicks greeted Anakin's hand. A smile spread across Padmé's face, and her eyes flitted open sleepily.

"Baby's saying good morning," she told Anakin with a small smile. The baby always did that when Anakin was near. Jinn had done the same, as had the twins. Anakin said it was likely to do with the fact they were all Force-sensitive.

"Mmm," he replied sleepily as he leaned in to kiss Padmé's temple. His hand moved toward the source of the kicking, which crescendoed under his touch. "Baby's active this morning," he observed, his voice husky with sleep. "Eager to start lightsaber practice."

Padmé smiled at that, her eyes flitting closed contentedly as she savored the warmth of his kiss and the sunlight streaming through their bedroom window. She was almost reluctant when his hand withdrew from her and the bed lifted in the absence of his weight. Soon, the spot beside her was cold, and she could hear water running in the fresher.

With a sigh, Padmé decided to get up. She wanted to be there when the twins and Han arrived, and either way she didn't think she would get much more sleep with the baby kicking as hard as it now was. With one hand on her belly and the other pushing against the bed, Padmé slowly rose, stretched her back, which was slightly sore, and made her way to her closet to pick out a gown to wear for the day.

"When did they say they would be here?" Anakin's voice asked her from the fresher.

"Ten minutes or so," Padmé replied as she flipped through her assortment of clothing. She had long since out grown her usual outfits, so it was difficult finding looser-fitting clothes that would fit her figure.

"Ten minutes?" Anakin's voice echoed in surprise. There was a pause, and then he amended, "Well, I suppose more like twenty."

Padmé laughed. "They have your sense of time."

Anakin did not send a reply from the fresher, but Padmé knew him well enough to know a smirk had probably spread across his face. Smiling to herself, she finally located a gown that was half-decent and began remove her nightgown.

Padmé had just finished dressing and had fixed her curls back with a large, sparkling clip when Jinn came scampering into the room, as she had expected he might. The boy usually visited their room shortly after they woke.

Noticing with amusement that he was tramping around with only one boot, Padmé laughed and scooped him up in a hug.

"Where's your other boot, Jinn?" she asked him, wiping traces of toothpaste off of his cheek and fixing his wild hair. Her smile widened when he began to wrinkle his nose in disdain. He looked so much like Anakin it was eerie.

"Mommy, no," he told her in a whining tone. She knew she was wounding his ego; Jinn was at the age when he seemed to think he could do everything by himself – which he could, for the most part, except when he neglected his physical appearance.

Finally he squirmed away, and then, when at a safe distance, gave her an indignant look and defiantly mussed up his hair once more. Padmé just shook her head resignedly, though her smile contained hints of amusement. Jinn was so much like how she imagined Anakin had been as a young child.

"Are the twins here yet?" Anakin's voice asked Padmé from the fresher. When she glanced up, she saw him emerge a moment later, using a face towel to wipe the remains of shaving cream off of his cheek.

"Not yet. I'm planning on going down to greet them," she told him.

He nodded, bunching up the towel in his hands. "If they arrive, tell them I'll be down in a moment."

Padmé nodded in reply, giving him a quick peck on the cheek before she turned to head out. His freshly shaved skin felt smooth to her touch.

"Come on, Jinn, we're going down to meet Leia and Luke," she told Jinn, holding her hand out for him to take.

Jinn brightened immediately, all anger gone, and rushed to put his small hand in hers. "Lightsaber practice?" he asked her hopefully, a skip in his step.

Padmé just laughed as they made their way from the room. "We'll see. You'll have to ask Luke about that. It's going to be a relaxing day for us, okay? Because we also need to plan for Leia's wedding."

She didn't know how wrong she would be.


	25. Of Rusty Speeders

Chapter Twenty-Five: Of Rusty Speeders

Breathless with exhaustion, Anakin finally extinguished his lightsaber. "All right, Leia," he told her, reaching up and wiping sweat from his brow with his wrist. "That's enough for today."

Though exhausted, he felt a burst of hidden hint of pride as he watched Leia lower her lightsaber. Sweat glistened on the skin of both of them, built up from three long rounds of dueling. He had pushed her even harder today, but her skills had held up.

With a final exhalation, Leia extinguished her lightsaber and immediately took a seat cross-legged on the ground. She seemed to be exhausted, judging from how she was working to calm her breaths.

Anakin took a seat beside her, handing her a towel and canteen of to make sure she stayed cool and hydrated, especially in the heat of the day. "You did very well," he told her. "Be sure to hold your posture, but other than that you held out very well."

Leia just nodded, still trying to catch her breath before she responded. "You said I'm almost finished working on the forms."

Anakin nodded. Leia had progressed startlingly quickly, especially for her age and her lack of prior lightsaber experience, and Anakin had already taught her almost all the forms. The only thing left for them was practice and application, which could be achieved through simple duel matches. "Once we complete this form, there's little else I can teach you."

His words caused Leia to suddenly glance up in surprise. "I haven't even beaten you yet."

Anakin chuckled. "Perhaps not," he granted. "But I have over thirty years under my belt in lightsaber training. And who knows. I've been beaten plenty of times, and once by your brother."

Leia smiled at that, and Anakin continued with a teasing twinkle in his eye, "Maybe it's time to show Luke that Form V."

Leia's smile widened, but she looked down humbly as a slight blush set over her cheeks. Anakin just smiled at that, knowing that she was pleased by his compliment.

They met with the others a minute later, when Luke, Han, Jinn, and Padmé came to find them.

"How's it going?" Luke immediately asked them. "Almost finished?"

Leia glanced quickly towards Anakin, as if asking for permission to be dismissed. When Anakin just nodded and smiled, she and Anakin both rose to their feet.

"Just about," Leia replied, and she reached to hand Anakin back the spare lightsaber.

Anakin, however, made no motion to take it. "Keep it," he told her with a small smile. "Until you are able to make your own."

He watched as Leia's eyes filled with emotion. "But it's yours."

Anakin laughed softly at her confusion. "I have no need for two," he replied softly. "Besides, I made it with you in mind." When her gaze did not relent, he continued gently, "Please, I want you to have it. At least until you construct your own."

Leia's eyes softened. "Thank you, Father," she replied.

The exchange was something of a seal between them, a sign of their care and respect for one another. Although perhaps such an exchange may have been common for another person, it was valuable to them because it was just another reminder of how far they had come. And although Anakin sensed she was touched more than she showed, the conversation quickly pushed on when Han spoke up.

"Before we head out, Skywalker," Han began, drawing their attention to him, "I was wondering if you could take a look at the speeder parked in the back. It's having some difficulties that I can't locate."

Anakin looked curiously at him. Usually Solo was very adept at mechanical work, and he rarely asked Anakin for help with anything. It more had to do with an issue of pride than anything, Anakin supposed, but if Han was truly asking for his help, then they must have truly reached the end of the galaxy. "Engine problem?"

Han just shook his head. "You'll have to take a look," he replied, folding his arms over his chest. "I think it has something to do with the boosters, but I'm not sure."

Anakin just nodded. He might as well; nothing else occupied his time at the moment, and it would be a nice thing to do for his future son-in-law. "I'll take a look at it."

* * *

"I don't see any issues," Anakin said, after he, Solo, and Luke had examined the speeder thoroughly. He frowned, running his hand over the engine cover. The engine itself seemed to be well enough, and Anakin had already scoured the boosters and the motor controls. None of them had seemed to have any issues, leaving all three of them extremely baffled. "How does it fly?"

Han shrugged. "Besides the abnormal chugging noises, normally, I suppose. Perhaps a bit slower."

Anakin located a loose knob on the rear of the engine and worked to screw it back into place. He doubted the loose knob was the source of the problems, but it was still good to make sure everything was in good condition. "Did you fly it here?"

Han nodded, his frown deepening.

"Hmm." Anakin squinted once more at the engine. He was at his end in ideas as well, as much as he hated to admit it. The only way to find out what might be wrong with the speeder was to see how it responded in flight. "Do you plan on flying it back to the apartment?"

Han nodded, folding his arms over his chest.

"I could fly you there to test it out," Anakin offered, shutting the engine's hood with a loud slam. "By then I might be able to locate the source of the problem and try to fix it."

Han briefly frowned at the speeder, and then turned his eyes to Anakin. "Alright, then."

* * *

Five minutes later, Anakin, Han, Luke, and Leia were in the speeder, heading back in the direction of Leia's apartment. Wind buffered them, tussling their hair as they pulled away from the Padmé and Anakin's apartment building and into the lanes of traffic. Light and whizzing noises whirled around them, surrounding them in a brilliant whirlwind of stimulation. Anakin barely noticed it, however. Whether it was from experience or concentration, his thoughts were carefully narrowed on the feel of the speeder beneath him. He was determined to figure out what was ailing the rusty piece of metal, as if it was some sort of puzzle to be solved.

For the most part, the speeder responded well to Anakin's directions. Its controls worked well, and it glided very smoothly through the air; Han had done a very fine job repairing it and keeping it up and running. And for the most part, it was running well. Except for that disconcerting rumbling noise whenever Anakin leveled the speeder.

"It's probably in the stabilizers," Anakin told them as he pulled out of a climb. The speeder began to rumble beneath them, as he expected it might. That usually meant that the engine was having trouble adapting, most likely because of stabilizer difficulties. He would probably have to reopen the engine and reconnect the power converters between the two parts. "The engine is over compensating."

When he was met with confused glances from his children and Han, Anakin motioned to two small buttons to the side of the control panel and explained, "See those switches there? They usually work with helping the engine adapt to the abrupt change in altitude-"

Suddenly, a blaring noise filled the speeder, cutting Anakin off and causing the speeder to swerve dangerously into the opposing lanes of traffic. Anakin's heart lurched as he saw the opposing traffic rush towards them, lights blinding and voices raised in alarm. Only his inherent talent and Jedi reflexes allowed him to direct the speeder out of the opposing lane, just in time for speeders to whip by them, so close that their wind could be felt on the skin. Just as the speeder had returned, however, it suddenly dipped beneath them, and the engine seemed to sputter, turning off and on almost simultaneously. Immediately, the buttons on the control panel began to blink red.

"What's happening?" Leia's alarmed voice asked from the back of the speeder. "Father?"

Anakin's heart dropped with dread and his hands skittered to the control panel. He was not sure what was happening, but he needed to figure it out before something drastic happened. Struggling to maintain a calm outward appearance, Anakin began flipping the switches on the control panel. Energy reverser, on. Stabilizer, on. Acceleration, off.

"What's happening?" Luke echoed.

The speeder's screen flashed with the words _Engine rebooting._

"Engine rebooting?" echoed Leia, alarm in her voice as the shuttle's nose began to slowly tilt downward.

There was no use. Anakin had no idea what was happening. He would have to land the speeder wherever he could, and the sooner the better. He didn't expect the engine to last much longer.

"Hold on," he instructed them, his hands moving to switch all controls to manual. He could barely keep them from shaking as they gripped the controls. He had piloted many different ships before, but never at the risk of his children's lives. "We're going to be okay," he told them through Han's stream of curses. "I'm going to land the speeder."

Although his assurance seemed to calm them for a moment, the quickly accelerating decent of the speeder soon raised the tension once more, and Anakin struggled to maintain an outward appearance of calm as they began to plummet downward. He must have missed something vital about the engine or the stabilizers, but now they were in deep trouble. There was only so much Anakin could do, and each of his actions would be magnified. He couldn't make any mistakes…

Anakin worked to level the speeder as best as he could as they fell towards the Coruscanti underground, trying to slow the speeder's descent. If he needed to, and he wasn't sure if he would, he could attempt a possible leap from the crashing speeder, bringing his children and Han with him. That would be the last resort. Anakin was fairly certain he could manage to straighten them out before them.

They broke through the last line of traffic, heading toward a gap in the skyscrapers where the ground leveled off. Anakin watched, adrenaline pulsing through him, as the ground came up to meet them.


	26. Poison's Pallid Complexion

_Just a small note: the character Mara Jade appears in this chapter and will from here on out have a substantial role in certain aspects of this story. Here's the warning/disclaimer: I have not read any of the EU stories, but tried to gauge her character as best as I could. There is a probability that my version of Jade may not measure to some of your standards. If so, I apologize, but you will have to bear with me, because I still don't plan on reading the EU stories. _

Chapter Twenty-Six: Poison's Pallid Complexion

"Is everyone alright?" Anakin asked from the front of the speeder when the speeder had finally come to a loud, screeching halt. His voice had a mixture of both relief and concern in it, Luke supposed out of both relief that they had landed – though in the roughest sense possible, perhaps – and worry that one of them might have been injured.

"We're fine," Luke answered after a moment's pause. He was still trying to calm himself and his erratic heartbeat. If the speeder had not slowed just before they hit the ground, they would have likely been in much worse shape. The speeder itself hardly seemed to be damaged, except for the long scrapes and the dented nose.

"Luke, Leia, clear the speeder," Anakin told them.

Luke was a step ahead of him, having already stood and followed Leia over the speeder's edge. When he stepped onto the pavement, relief immediately washed over him. Although he had been in other crashes in worse situations, it was still immensely relieving to have both feet on the ground once more.

Luke approached the speeder cautiously; he knew that there was a possibility it could catch flame, and he didn't want to risk getting any burns.

He reached the engine, the others behind him, and carefully pried open the hood of the speeder. The hood opened with a loud _pop, _and smoke immediately came spilling out, surrounding them and causing them to back away from the engine.

"Well, that engine is wrecked," Leia remarked. "There's no way we're flying this one back home."

Han squinted at the traffic above them. "We're only a little ways away from your parents' apartment. We could just walk back and catch a speeder from there."

"I don't suppose we could comlink someone to take it back to your place?" Luke asked him.

Han gave a weary sigh, observing the billowing engine of the speeder with his hands set on his hips. "Fex was right," he said moodily. "This is a piece of junk."

"Now that we know," Luke told him, "We can probably fix up the-"

Suddenly, before Luke could even understand what was happening, he heard a loud _whizzing _noise, a shout of alarm from his father, and suddenly the world around him lurched as he was pushed forward. Hurtling towards the ground, only his quick reflexes allowed him to stretch out his hands to break his fall in time, although pain laced through them as he slid to the ground and skinned his hands on the pavement.

It was only through his knowledge of the Force that he immediately knew something – other than the rusty innards of a speeder – was wrong. He didn't know how or why, but suddenly they were in danger.

The Force pulsing with electricity around him, Luke rebounded from his fall in a fluid motion, springing up immediately and drawing his lightsaber to his hands. As he turned back around, he saw that Leia had done the same; she was standing in a ready stance, her blaster drawn out and ready to fire. There was no one in sight, though, and no signs of a threat other than the smoking pieces of the speeder.

When Luke looked back to check the states of Han and Anakin, however, his heart dropped with horror in his chest. Han seemed uninjured, but he was rushing to the still, fallen figure of… Anakin. Anakin was lying on the ground, curled in a fetal position, apparently in pain. He was not rising.

Han and Leia made it to Anakin before Luke did, and turned Anakin over onto his back. Luke rushed towards them, filled with dread. No. This couldn't be happening. Anakin always got up, no matter what. As he rushed to them, he realized Anakin must have been the one who had pushed him out of the way, therefore taking a full blast whatever might have been aimed for him. Horror filled him when he realized Anakin might have just paid a terrible price.

When he finally pushed in to reach his father, he saw that Anakin was trembling violently under Leia and Han's arms, as if he was seizing, with eyes pain-filled and hands clenching and unclenching his robes. He did not seem to be able to talk, though whether from physical impediment or shock Luke was unsure. With horror, Luke observed a deathly shade of gray in his face, reminding him once more of that day five years ago when the second Death Star was collapsing around them and death was written on Anakin's face.

"No!" Leia gasped, turning Anakin's face towards them as he suddenly seemed to relax, his muscles calming, and his eyes slowly sunk. "No!" she cried, grasping at his neck and his shoulders, as if it might help his awaken. It didn't. Seeming panicked, she turned to Luke and Han, demanding, "What's wrong with him?"

"Stop!" Han told her, though his voice cracked under strain. "Don't jostle him." He reached over and grasped Anakin's upper arm. At first Luke was unsure what he was trying to do. Then, when Han slowly drew his hand back, in his palm rested a bloodied poison saberdart.

They stared at it in horror at the object for a moment, watching as the pointed edges glinted brilliantly in the light, speckles of blood on its faces. Luke had only seen those a few times before, and used mostly by bounty hunters or assassins. They usually contained lethal toxins that would kill victims in a matter of seconds. It didn't seem to have buried itself in Anakin's arm, but judging from the blood on its faces, it had at least opened up his skin, meaning the poison had touched his blood. Luke swallowed back horror as he stared at the specks of blood that may have sealed his father's fate.

"Where did that come from?" Luke directed the question at Han as he desperately tried to search the depth of the wound. Anger suddenly grew inside of him when he realized that the dart might have just cost Anakin's life. "Who fired it?"

"I'm surprised you haven't used your force powers to figure that out, _Skywalker,_" said a mildly interested voice behind them.

Luke spun around to see a tall woman approaching them, clothed in a tight, black jumpsuit. She had a silver utility belt around her waist, and her flaming red hair was swept in a braided bun, though red wisps framed her face. Luke felt his anger lurch inside of him when he saw her, and he swung his lightsaber in front of him.

"I can't say I was expecting him to step in front of you," Jade told him, an eyebrow raised. "Time to stop hiding behind others' protection, perhaps?"

Luke's anger was intensified by those words, knowing that his father had chosen to sacrifice himself out of love, something someone like Jade could never understand. "What's in that dart?" Luke demanded.

Jade's features did not flinch in their stony depths, but a long purple blade interrupted the silence when it extended with a long _suck-hiss. _The humming blade was pulled up in front of her, and she took the opening form of Ataru, her green eyes glinting dangerously. "It's too late, _Skywalker._ He will die, as will you. This is the end."

Luke's anger lurched again, but just as he was about to move in for the first strike, he was suddenly interrupted at the lighting of a third saber, this time from behind. Soon, Leia was at his side, holding her humming blue blade, her brow narrowed in furious determination.

If Jade was surprised, she barely showed it. She did, however, readjust her position, leading Luke to believe she had not expected Leia to join in, or to even have been trained to fight.

The three studied one another for a few moments, as if testing one another out, and then suddenly the whirlwind began.

Jade's style was very much the opposite of what Luke had experienced while dueling Vader so long ago. Not having the strength of Vader, Jade instead compensated with quick and precise blows and an impressive array of acrobatics and whirling. Although he may have in any other circumstances been impressed, for Luke, the dodging and flips only increased his anger, so he quickly adjusted to persistent strikes to keep Jade in defense. In the back of his mind, he knew he should let go of his anger, but he was so driven by frustration that he drove such thoughts out of his mind. Instead, he reached deep into the force, drawing from it strength and focus. He sensed his sister was doing the same thing beside him, and soon their minds joined in a bond of determination.

Soon, the double strength of the twins began to drive Jade backwards, until soon Jade seemed to tire out. With a force push, she retreated a ways, regrouping at a safe distance. She twirled her lightsaber, the signal warning the twins against another approach.

"What poison was in that dart?" Luke demanded once more as he approached her once more. There was still time to save Anakin. He could still save him. He needed an antidote.

Jade did not answer immediately, simply inclining her head in a challenge.

"_What_ _poison_?" Luke snapped, anger rushing through him at her mocking reply. He raised his lightsaber, circling around her as he planned his next attack. He watched her features carefully, trying to read the stone-like expression. "You're not going to get away with any more murders," Luke growled at her. "Not if I can stop you."

Jade's eyes glinted, and once more she mockingly inclined her head, her face remaining impassive. "I only follow my master's orders."

"I suppose your master pays well," Luke retorted harshly, taking a threatening step forward. If he needed to, he would wring answers from her. "Is your loyalty to him or to his pocket?" He brought his lightsaber up with a _hum, _readying once more his form.

"You think my loyalty is that shallow?" Jade challenged, an eyebrow raised as she twirled her lightsaber, warning Luke to back off.

"How quickly did you move from Palpatine to your new boss?" Luke challenged her. "Was it a few months? A year, perhaps?"

That finally enticed a reaction. Jade's eyes flashed dangerously. "You think I've stopped serving Emperor Palpatine, started serving pitiful other employers?" she snapped back. "You're wrong. I haven't killed for another in five years because I've been focused on my_ final_ mission." Jade's eyes glittered at them as she allowed her words to sink in. "You want to know what his last order was, before he died? _Kill Luke Skywalker_." Jade raised her purple blade vertically, her brow narrowing with purpose. "That's what I've been working towards, and that's what I plan to do. At any cost."


	27. Playing with Fire

Chapter Twenty-Seven: Playing with Fire

"You lie," snapped Leia in response to Jade's statement, speaking for the first time since the beginning of their conversation. She could not believe Jade's audacity, that she was implying that she could possibly be innocent in the assassination attempts on the Senate and Provisional Council. The blatant denial only caused Leia' anger to spike. "And it's already been proven otherwise. The Republic is hunting you down, and when they find you, you will be tried. There's nowhere you can run."

"Your accomplice is already a wanted man," Luke threatened, approaching Jade from the other side. "If necessary, we will wring answers from you."

Jade glanced from Luke to Leia, her eyes narrowing and her brow deepening, though whether from confusion at their words or the fact that they were slowly approaching her from both sides, Leia was unsure. "I don't know what you're talking about," she retorted.

"The assassination attempt on Mon Mothma's life!" Luke snapped. "The explosion at the Provisional Dinner!"

Jade's saber swung upwards in a more defensive position; apparently Luke's passionate words caused her to expect an attack. When it did not come, she lowered it slightly, watching Luke and Leia circle her like a caged animal. "I don't know what you are talking about," she said angrily. Her eyes flashed hate towards Luke. "I didn't participate in either of those."

"We already proved otherwise," Luke retorted. "We found you in a security hologram near the Provisional Building the night of the explosion. Your identity was confirmed. Scouts and spies are currently combing through the galaxy for you."

Jade's reaction to Luke's words, much to Leia's surprise, was hardly one of anger or defense, as a guilty individual's might have been. Instead, she appeared to be confused and stunned at such an accusation.

As Jade was backed further into the corner, she seemed to continue to grow tense.

"It's coming to an end, Jade," Luke threatened her. "You're not going to harm anyone else."

Suddenly, Luke lunged forward, hoping to catch the Emperor's Hand off guard. She was well trained, however, because she met his blade and they quickly resumed their aggressive duel, exchanging blows until they were breathless. Soon, however, with final, abrupt few sweeps of his hand, Luke disarmed Jade's blade, which clattered to the ground as Luke pointed his towards her neck. Mara slowly sunk to her knees in submission, but her eyes continued to glare daggers at him.

"Who is your boss?" he snapped.

Mara did not flinch at his accusatory tone. "I work for no one," she said firmly. "Palpatine was my first and last master."

Leia frowned at such a reply. Her experience as a politician had taught her not to trust any one of questionable origins, but as she studied Jade's force presence, she could not sense that she was lying. Likewise, Luke seemed to be disturbed by the inconsistency. She watched as his brow lowered in concentration.

"You tried to assassinate the members of the Provisional Council." Luke pointed his blade towards her threateningly. "Why?"

Mara shook her head firmly. "I didn't."

"You were there," growled Luke. "We saw you in the security holograms."

Mara shook her head once more, steeling her jaw. "I was there the night of the assassination," she said firmly. "But I did not plant that bomb. I was not involved in the plot."

"The Republic's best spies are currently searching for you," Leia warned her. "I wouldn't push your luck, Jade. It's never long before they find who they are looking for."

"I was not involved in the plot," she insisted. "They're searching for the wrong person."

Luke's brow lowered in confusion at her persistence of her innocence. "How do you explain your presence there?" he challenged her. "Coincidence?"

Jade did not reply to Luke's challenge directly. "I was not involved in either of the assassination attempts," she repeated insistently, and her chin lifted in confidence, even with Luke's blade pointed at her neck. "I cannot explain my presence near the Provisional Dinner, but I assure you I was not involved."

There was another pause as each side carefully analyzed the other. Then, with an eyebrow raised in daring confidence, Jade continued, "You will not kill me." She spoke it with absolute certainty, as if there were no questions to be asked.

The twins' gazes were hard on her, challenging such an assumption.

"Will we not?" Luke retorted, his voice containing hints of mockery.

Jade's eyes did not leave his when she replied, "Not when I have the antidote you need to save your friend."

Luke and Leia were silent for a moment, scarcely daring to believe it. After a minute or so of a stalemate, Jade spoke again.

"I will make a bargain with you, Skywalker," she said. "If you let me go and help me clear my name, I will give you the antidote."

"And risk you fleeing?" Luke retorted.

"I think you will have to take that chance," Jade told him.

"I can take the antidote from you by force-"

"I can smash it before you touch it," Jade retorted, silencing Luke. They glared at one another for a moment, in a standstill of wits. Then, finally, Jade seemed to relent. "If you let me go, I will give you the antidote. Then we can both clear my name by finding your real assassin."

Luke's lightsaber lowered, although a suspicious glint remained in his eye. "You said you were not involved," he said, his voice still containing hints of hostility.

"I'm not," she replied deftly. She raised her chin with confidence and raised an eyebrow, as if challenging Luke to doubt her. "But I know the ins and outs of the Assassin's Guild. I know what their underworld network is like. I can help you find him."

Luke still appeared suspicious. "You expect us to trust you like that?"

"I need my name cleared as much as you need to find your assassin," she replied. "Perhaps it's about time we admitted we need one another's help."

There was another silence. Then, slowly, Luke seemed to relent. "Hand me the antidote," he commanded her. "Then I'll allow you to go."

Mara Jade's eyes seemed to burn into them, staring through them as if scouring for any dishonesty. Before she reached for what Luke wanted, however, she held out one of her gloved hands. "Swear on it, Skywalker," she ordered.

Luke and Leia's gazes narrowed simultaneously, and Leia's hate of Jade grew with the mistrustful words. She was manipulating them in a situation where they had no time to negotiate, where they were cornered between a choice of sacrifice and death of their father. It made Leia's blood boil and heart race with the same desperation of a cornered wild animal. Knowing her brother like the back of her hand, Leia could tell that Luke felt the same way, but Luke, seeming to understand their precarious position, put his anger aside. He reached out his hand to grasp Jade's, fixing her with an intense stare. "I swear that if you give me the antidote and help us find the assassin who is behind this plot, I will help you clear your name."

Jade's green eyes scoured him closely, searching once more for any signs of guilt or mistrustful intentions. "I will come find you," she finally told him in a low voice, her features unreadable. Then, after she released his hand, she reached cautiously into her silver utility belt and pulled a tube-like container. She uncapped it, revealing a long syringe.

"To be injected slowly," she told Luke. "If you administer it too fast, he will die." Then, she slowly extended it to him.

Luke took it without hesitation or ceremony and quickly withdrew his lightsaber from her neck, causing the tension to disappear in the moment. Then, with Leia behind him, they both rushed as fast as they could back to where they had left Han and Anakin.


	28. Into the Gray Netherworld

Chapter Twenty-Eight: Into the Gray Netherworld

When Luke and Leia finally made it back, they were greeted by the wild and panicked eyes of Han. He was cradling the limp and pale body of Anakin, with one hand pressed to the pulse on Anakin's neck and the other supporting his shoulders and head.

Han's head shot up when he saw them approaching rapidly. Before Luke or Leia could even inquire, the thin, grave lines on his mouth and alarmed sparks in his eyes immediately conveyed the seriousness of the situation. Han finally managed to formulate words, saying with urgency as they hastily drew to his side and bent beside Anakin, "He's not breathing. He just stopped breathing."

It was then that Luke's heart lurched in his chest. He fumbled to place his fingers on Anakin's neck, but he had to steady himself before he could sense the slow, faint beat there on the cold and clammy skin. He did not have to check if Anakin was breathing; the bluish lips already confirmed that Anakin was not getting enough oxygen.

So wrapped up in his own panic, Luke was barely aware that Han was continuing to talk in a bumbling manner.

"I couldn't reach the medcenter," Han told them, his voice shaking violently. "There's no signal anywhere down here."

As Han continued to talk, Luke hastily uncapped the syringe, willing his fingers to stop trembling. He ended up dropping the cap in his clumsiness, but soon the syringe was bared and poised.

A cold and feverish feeling settled over him as he shifted Anakin's limp head to the side, into Leia's soothing hands, therefore baring Anakin's neck. With his fingers on the clammy skin, Luke quickly inserted the needle into Anakin's bloodstream, then released the antidote slowly, just as Jade had warned him.

After he had withdrawn the syringe, Luke stared closely at Anakin, waiting, hoping, _wishing_ for some change. None came. There was no change in color in his neck or face or lips. He did not start back to life. He did not breathe.

Leia's steady hands eventually guided his away from Anakin, though they were cold to touch and made a shiver go down his back.

"What can we do?" Leia asked him, her voice uncharacteristically tremulous. She brushed Anakin's hair from his clammy forehead and looked to Luke, worry deep in her brown eyes.

Luke could not reply for a moment, his throat tight. "I'm going to enter a healing meditation to try to drive the poison from his organs. Hopefully he can just sweat it out," he told her. "I'm going to need your help."

Leia nodded, and looked up at Han. "Han, call Mother," she ordered him. "Use my comlink. It has better frequencies than yours."

"The medcenter?" Han asked her.

Leia shook her head, her brow furrowed with deep creases. "Assassin's toxins are often uncommon and untreatable. The medcenter would not be able to help. They likely wouldn't even be able to identify the poison she used."

Han accepted the comlink Leia handed him, and then stood to retreat a little ways and make the connection. Leia then looked up at Luke, the expression in her eyes communicating that she was ready for whatever was necessary.

"We need to enter his consciousness," Luke told her, "And keep him rooted to his body while we drive out the toxins."

Leia nodded in understanding.

"Leia," Luke warned. "He may be weak in body, but the consciousness of a person is a different matter. We do not know what he may do when he senses us. He may not even realize it's us."

Leia nodded once more.

Then, both closing their eyes at once, they submerged themselves in the Force.

It was not hard to slip part Anakin's lax mental shields. Usually, they were remarkably strong, so much so that on a regular occasion it was difficult for Luke or Leia to even sense emotions leaking from his mind. But now that he was unconscious and fading quickly, his mental shields seemed to have crumpled, and Luke found it easy to slip past them and into the deep recesses of his father's mind.

Quickly, when he had passed into that abyss, Luke was assaulted with bursts of vibrant color that swirled around him like winds over rippling grasses. The colors mixed together; they swirled in giant, gentle windstorms that changed abruptly in both color and speed, reminding Luke somewhat of children playfully chasing one another. Some times the colors were bright and happy, and other times they faded into deeper, more pensive colors, at which point the winds died down, becoming more ominous and threatening.

Then, immediately, as Luke continued to enter into his father's mind, he was assaulted with memories, pictures and colors of things he did not recognize.

A kind-looking woman dressed in Tatooine garb flashed in front of his eyes. _Now be brave, _she said as she faded away,_ and don't look back… don't look back… _

Luke pushed the memory aside and plowed deeper into his father's mind, searching for the darkness of the poison that he knew resided there, but soon another voice echoed through the space, filled with a sticky sweetness Luke recalled so well… _I am appointing you to be my personal representative on the Jedi Council. _The old man turned around, a fatherly look on his face as he began to fade. He was Palpatine. As Luke struggled to flee from the memory of such a hated man, he was suddenly assaulted with the smell and sight of a flower-laden field. …_Just being around her is… intoxicating. _

Soon, the thoughts and memories began to come more quickly Padmé's voice spoke through the darkness. _Ani, I'm pregnant… _A sandy hovel. A sparkling lake. A fiery volcano. Then, suddenly, the winds of Bespin swirled around a familiar dark, armored figure as he reached out towards a young man a little ways off. _Come with me, and together we can rule the galaxy as father and son…_

Luke gave a final shove to the memories, feeling a slight tinge of pain at something that was so familiar to him as well. He then retreated a ways from his father's mind, feeling slightly guilty for witnessing some of Anakin's more personal thoughts. Making sure to hold back the waves of pictures and thoughts with a section of his own mind, he then turned his concentration and focus towards the crawling dark presence that was beginning to creep over Anakin's consciousness, the presence that was paralyzing and clouding all Anakin's mind with shadow.

He felt Leia's presence stir beside him, and, feeling her raw power join with his, he tightened his secure hold on his father's mind, while pushing with all his might to drive out the creeping darkness. With Leia's joint effort, he could soon feel the darkness begin to stutter and stumble, halting its crippling crawl into Anakin's mind.

Luke reached deeper into the Force, summoning more and more of the power of the Force's swirling masses to direct it towards the darkness. And slowly, but surely, as Luke and Leia released more of the light into Anakin's mind, little by little the darkness seemed to dissolve into nothingness.

Luke and Leia worked the healing power through the recesses of Anakin's mind, then moved it over Anakin's body, stirring his organs back into life little by little.

Soon, when the twins had finished and had driven out the last bits of darkness, they both withdrew from their trances and returned back to the world around them.

The bright world assaulted Luke when he opened his eyes, and the surreal world of his father's mind vanished around him. Immediately, before he had adapted, Han's hand grabbed his shoulder, and, startled, Luke looked up to see Han's worried expression.

"What happened?" Han demanded. "You and Leia were out for ten minutes!"

Luke just shook his head, finding he could not reply for a moment out of shock of his return to the bright and raw world. He watched his sister struggle to adapt herself beside him. "We drove the poison from his body," he managed to say, breaking his gaze with Han to look down on his father. "I don't think there's much else we can do."

Leia's hands were already above Anakin's lips, which were looking decidedly more normal than before, as the blue and gray faded away. Her hands hovered over his lips, trying to feel if oxygen was passing through. "He's breathing," she finally said. She looked up at Luke and Han with relief. "He's breathing."


	29. I Have A Bad Feeling About This

Chapter Twenty-Nine: I Have A Bad Feeling About This

To say that Padmé was upset would have been an understatement.

Leia did not know if it was the changing hormones of Padmé's pregnancy or perhaps Padmé's fiercely protective nature that caused such a reaction to the situation, but if Leia ever had any doubts that her parents loved each other, they vanished the moment she saw her heavily pregnant mother rush from her parked speeder to Anakin's fallen body, Padmé already beginning to panic before she had even set her hands on her husband.

Leia and Luke quickly assured their distraught mother that he was breathing once more; both were concerned for her health as much as for his, which had been showing severe improvements since Leia and Luke had driven away the poison. They then allowed her some space for her to assure herself that he was truly only unconscious and out of danger, before they began to explain what had occurred.

Even as Padmé got reassurance that everything was going to be okay, Leia noticed she still did not let Anakin out of her sight during the speeder ride back to Anakin and Padmé's apartment. It seemed as if Padmé wanted to reassure herself over and over that he would be all right, and be there to watch over him protectively in case he wouldn't. Either way, although considerably calmed compared to what she had first been, she seemed to be in her own world of worry on the ride back, continually touching his face and hands comfortingly, as if he could be soothed by the touch.

Luke and Han carried Anakin inside Anakin and Padmé's apartment, with both Leia and Padmé close in tow. They set Anakin down carefully on the master bed, and, after Padmé had seated herself by his side, he almost immediately began to show signs of consciousness. Now and then his eyes would flicker, revealing cracks of brilliant blue.

"He should be fine, Mother," Luke assured Padmé, putting his arm about her shoulders to comfort her. "He's out of danger."

"He might become feverish," Leia warned her. "But it's just his body getting rid of any extra toxins."

Padmé turned her gaze to Luke and Leia, touching their faces gently. "I can't thank you enough," she told them softly. "Without your help, your father would not be alive."

Leia just smiled, touched by her mother's words as she embraced them tightly. After all the years they had been separated, Leia was amazed at how much of a family they had now become, how much they had come to care for one another. They had come such a long way, and Leia knew that she loved each and every member of her family dearly. She had been truly scared for Anakin's life, more than she was willing to admit.

Leia glanced sideways at Luke, who had bowed his head, apparently to recover his emotions. She could tell he was still slightly in shock at it all, and was also still deeply unsettled at how close they had been to loosing Anakin's life. Leia simply put her arm around his waist, learning her head against his shoulders for emotional comfort. He pinched the bridge of his nose, and then lifted his head.

Padmé removed her hand from Luke's cheek and returned it back to its soothing motion of brushing Anakin's hair from his forehead. "So are you saying that you trust this Mara Jade?" she asked them.

"No," Leia replied for Luke, who still seemed to be recovering from the entire ordeal. She moved to sit beside her mother, and Luke and Han joined as well, all apparently realizing that the conversation to follow would likely be lengthy. "It was the best we could do in the situation."

"Perhaps this Jade person will need our help after all," Han said. "I'm not saying that we should trust her… I don't think we should trust anyone who's worked for Palpatine-" He glanced up suddenly, realizing what he must have said, and quickly amended, "Anyone who's still loyal to Palpatine's cause, I mean." He cast a guilty and apologetic glance towards Padmé, who, other than a sharp flicker through her eyes, had not reacted. Han cleared his throat, and then continued, "Mara Jade might end up needing our help after all."

"She could be trying to misplace the blame," Luke suggested. "Any guilty person might do so."

Leia shook her head. "But there wasn't any other course of action we could have followed. We needed the antidote to save Father. We shook on it and agreed to let her go."

"We could have captured her," Luke said.

Leia shook her head again. "While trying to save Father? It would have been immensely difficult to keep her contained. Besides, we didn't have backup."

Luke let out a long sigh, running his fingers through his hair and leaning back in his chair in resignation.

Leia shot him a short glance. She knew exactly what that sigh meant. "I know you wish we could have done better, Luke," she told him gently. "But we were limited by our situation. We did the best that we could have."

Luke simply nodded, folding his arms across his chest. Leia knew he agreed with her point, but she also knew that he still blamed himself all the same.

"I guess we'll find out," Han said finally. "Sooner or later. If she keeps her end of the bargain, she'll come to find us."

"I don't like the idea of you working with her," Padmé told them after a beat. They turned their heads to look at her. She continued gently, "She tried to kill you, Luke. That was what she said her final command was from Palpatine. And if she is truly loyal to Palpatine, as she has so proven over the past five years, she will attempt to again. This agreement gives her a free pass to you."

"It also gives us a free pass to the assassin underground," Luke told her. "Who else could show us that?"

Padmé just shook her head, her brow wrinkling. "She could be luring you with that promise."

"I'll have others with me, Mother," Luke told her. "Han will be with me, and Leia, and Father, when he's recovered."

It didn't seem to comfort Padmé, whose expression did not change with Luke's attempt at consolation. "Luke…" she began, a worried tone in her voice.

"Mother," Luke began, leaning forward to place her hand in his. He looked her straight in the eye, his blue eyes meeting her soft brown. "Please trust me. I know her fighting style. And as much as I do not trust her, I sensed her sincerity in her promise through the Force."

"Such sincerity can be faked," Padmé told him. Luke opened his mouth to reply, but Padmé continued over him, "Can it not?"

Luke's mouth opened and closed, until, casting his gaze briefly downward, he replied, "I suppose so."

"It can, Luke," Padmé replied. She spoke slowly and softly, as if trying to emphasize the importance of her words. "That's how Palpatine deceived your father, all those years ago. He appeared to have good intent."

Luke was silent at that, and all three of them seemed to have been struck especially at those words. Leia had never considered that idea before, and it was startling to think what she as a force-sensitive might have interpreted as sincere might have actually been a façade. It made her wonder if she would ever be able to trust others around her, even with her gift.

Padmé soon spoke again, seeming to relent a bit, "I trust your judgment, Luke. But please exercise caution. You've seen what she can do."

Luke nodded.

Seeing that the conversation was moving away, Leia stood from her chair. "Can I get you anything, Mother?" She was worried that her mother had undergone too much stress through the ordeal and might be either dehydrated or hungry.

Padmé looked up at her. "No, thank you, Leia." Her gaze returned to Anakin, and her hand slipped to her rounded belly, soothingly touching the distinct bulge as if trying to calm the baby inside. "I'll be okay for now."

"I'll have a Corellian beer," Han suggested, just as Leia was about to turn back around. Leia simply rolled her eyes and gave him a dirty look, deciding that things had been too somber for too long.

"Come and get it yourself," she told him mischievously, and as she headed out of the room, Han chuckled and headed after her.

The playful mood only lasted shortly after they left the bedroom, however, because shortly after, when Han had caught up with her, they both grew sober once more, as if the illusion was only maintained in the presence of others.

"I sure hope we know what we're doing," Leia said suddenly, her voice low and confiding. Her gaze flickered to Han, suddenly vulnerable.

Han nodded his head in acquiescence, the lines between his eyes deep. "I have a bad feeling about this."


	30. Strength of a Bond

Chapter Thirty: Strength of a Bond

Padmé remained by Anakin's side when Leia and Han left the room, and soon she was left alone with Luke, whom she sensed was still recovering somewhat from the emotional ordeal and therefore wanted to hang back to simply regain his composure and thought.

Silence accompanied Han and Leia's departure, and both Padmé and Luke settled into comfortable quiet, both content to unwind in the presence of one another. As Padmé continued to stroke Anakin's head of blond curls, her own worried thoughts continued to wander, drifting back to her simple gratitude and relief that her husband was there with her after everything. She tried to focus on these thoughts, to push back the wild ideas of what might have been, so she could regain her calm and poise. As much as she tried, however, they did not seem to vanish, instead resurfacing now and then to remind her of how much she could have lost. The entire disaster had been too close for comfort; she knew that if her twins had hesitated just a few moments longer, he might have been lost to her. She knew that if Jade had not possessed an antidote, or had fired a bit more directly, or had won the duel, he might have been lost to her. Not only that – they _all _might have been lost to her. Feeling revulsion at that thought, Padmé pushed it from her mind and turned her face to look back down at Anakin's still features, which were peaceful against her hand, as if he was asleep. She knew what it felt like to lose him. She knew what it felt like to not know if he would ever come back to her. It would not happen again.

As if in agreement, the baby inside of her twisted in her belly, and her hands came down once more to soothe it. The baby inside her had been moving and kicking ever since Anakin and the others had left the apartment, as if it could sense that its father was in danger. Padmé did not doubt that it could, either. Luke and Leia had shown similar traits, as had Jinn. They all had shared a special force connection with their father. Padmé moved her hands over her large belly, speaking silently to the child inside, soothing it and telling it that Anakin would be all right.

When the baby's movements began to subdue, Padmé glanced sideways at Luke, who was sitting thoughtfully beside her. Normally, Padmé would have assumed that he was in a state of meditation when he was sitting so still, but his moving eyes suggested otherwise. Eventually, after a minute or so of silence, Luke broke the quiet.

"I didn't realize how much I was attached to Father until he was almost gone," he admitted to her. His blue eyes met her brown ones, but she remained quiet, sensing that he would continue. "We've come a long way, and in small steps."

After a pause, Luke gave a small sigh, running his hands through his hair. "I've always yearned to know him, as a young boy – throughout all my life, really. That's why I was devastated at first to learn that he was Darth Vader, because I had already constructed him in my mind, an ideal man, a figment of my imagination too perfect for possibility… I know he's not perfect, but my desire to please him has never faded. His opinion and presence has come to mean so much to me, especially in the past few years. …And that's why it's so hard… I still can't believe that we almost lost him."

Touched by the vulnerability and sincerity in his words, Padmé wordlessly leaned in to embrace her son, sensing that he needed physical touch to ground him and let him know how loved he was by both her and Anakin. Although the embrace was slightly awkward, made so by her swollen belly between them, Padmé knew he was just as touched by her action as she was by his words; she could eventually feel Luke relax into her embrace.

"Thanks, Mother," he said softly when they finally withdrew.

Padmé just nodded, brushing the blond bangs from his forehead wordlessly. She did not say anything, not wishing to shatter the moment. They stayed in silence for a moment or two, but a comfortable, soft silence unpressured by any aching desires to break it.

"How is Jinn?" Luke asked after a while.

Padmé turned to look at him, surprised by the abruptness. "Afternoon nap," she told Luke. "Slept through the whole thing. Sabé saw how stressed I was and assured me she would explain what happened if he woke in my absence."

Then, as if the boy himself had heard her, Padmé soon heard the door to the bedroom creaking open and saw a pale face peek through.

Unsure how much Sabé had told the boy, Padmé immediately went to him and knelt in front of him, blocking his view of where his father was lying motionless.

The boy's eyes still darted from his mother to Luke. "Is Daddy sick?" he asked Padmé quietly.

Padmé hesitated to answer for a moment. The boy was so young, so innocent. She rubbed his arms in response, as if trying to stir life and spirits back into the child, who was much to somber for her liking. "Yes, Jinn," she told him gently. "He got sick, and now he's resting so he can get better."

"He's sleeping?" Jinn asked her softly, to which Padmé nodded. As he moved toward the bed, she stood and took his hand, leading him there.

The child approached his father cautiously, but stopped about a foot away. He stared at Anakin for a moment, and then looked back at Padmé and Luke. "He's dreaming, Mommy," Jinn said softly.

Her son's words resounded eerily inside her mind. Any normal child could have said something so simple, but Jinn was not normal. Padmé would not put it past him to have some type of telepathy that would allow him to have such a bond with his father.

"'S dreaming of you, Mommy," Jinn told her, turning his gaze back to Anakin's still form. "And Luke, and Leia. Happy."

Padmé could not help but smile, even though every part of her body suddenly seemed weary. She slowly lowered herself back down onto her chair, so as to relieve her straining back.

"And the new baby," Jinn continued, his blue eyes shining innocently at her. "Her too."

That perked Padmé's curiosity. Why would Jinn select a gender for their child? Not even Anakin knew if it was a boy or girl. "New baby?" she replied gently. "You think it's a girl?"

Jinn gave her a strange look, as if confused that she didn't share the same knowledge. He gave an eager nod. "Mommy, I _know_ she is."

Padmé observed that his small face was very confident and set in its ways. "How do you know?"

Jinn did not reply, instead simply reaching out slowly to place his small hands on her belly, the same way as when she had shown him his younger sibling's kicking.

"Do you talk to her?" Padmé asked him gently.

Jinn gave her another strange look. "She's too little, Mommy," he replied. "She's happy when Daddy is near, or Luke and Leia."

Padmé was amazed at Jinn's intuition, and simply glanced sideways at Luke, wondering if he was just as amazed as she was. She could feel the thundering of kicks underneath her and Jinn's hands as Luke simply smiled knowingly.

"Did you know all along?" she asked him incredulously, suddenly struck with the suspicion that Luke was not completely surprised.

"What?" Luke asked with a small smile, tapping his fingers playfully on the armrest of his chair. "That the child is a girl? Or that Jinn possesses remarkable force capabilities?"

Padmé shook her head, amazed. His smirk already betrayed the answer.

"Both," he replied, smiling. "Jinn is unusually gifted, as I have learned over the past few months." He looked down bashfully. "And I already was fairly certain the child is a girl. Jinn only confirmed it." Luke's smile grew – or, rather, his smirk. "Leia and Han owe me a lot of money."

Padmé smiled at that. Trust her children to set up bets among one another. "How did Jinn know, and you didn't?" she asked him, not allowing him to get off the hook when she was still dazed at his apparent omniscience.

"Bonding," Luke replied, and, at Padmé's invitation, reached out slowly to feel his younger sibling's kicks. "He must have bonded with her."

Padmé shook her head in a mixture of confusion and amazement. "Will she bond with all force-sensitives?"

"Only the ones in her constant proximity." Luke paused, another smirk dancing on the corner of his lips. "Mainly Jinn and Father."

"But your father doesn't know she's a girl."

Luke's smile only widened. "I wouldn't be so certain."

Padmé could only shake her head in fake exasperation.


	31. Light of Day

Thirty-One: Light of Day

The first thing that Anakin was made aware of was a soft, brushing feeling against his forehead, as if someone was brushing his hair off of his forehead. Then, slowly, little by little, he became aware that a presence was beside him, although he did not yet open his eyes.

"Yes, that's it," a feminine voice said. Anakin recognized the voice. It was Leia's.

Her voice grounded him, and soon he became aware that he was drifting, and needed to cling to consciousness and return to the real world. As he focused his attention on her voice, soon he found himself on a familiar bed, and could feel morning light upon his skin.

His eyes flickered open, and were met with Leia's smiling face.

"Hello, Father," she said simply. She looked very beautiful, with her hair braided and twisted in a bun on her head, while small, curly wisps framed her face. Her intelligent brown eyes smiled down at him. Padmé's eyes.

"Leia?" he finally managed to say, although it came out softer and weaker than he intended. His voice was hoarse after not speaking for such a long time.

Leia just smiled. "Welcome to the land of the living."

The sentence slightly disconcerted Anakin, but he chose to cover it up by moving his legs and arms, which felt slightly stiff, no doubt because of the length of time he had remained there. Speaking of which… "How long have I been asleep?"

"Officially, two days," Leia told him. "You've woken up before, though, briefly. Do you remember?"

"No."

Two days. He had been asleep for two days? Anakin could barely remember what had even happened.

"What was the last thing you remember?" Leia prodded him, her expression suddenly somber, much too somber for Anakin's liking.

Anakin shook his head. "We crashed the speeder. Did I get hurt?"

Leia shook her head. "We crashed the speeder, and then were attacked by Jade. …You saved Luke's life."

Anakin turned his head away. Ah. He remembered now. A poison dart. He had barely even sensed its approach until it had almost been too late. Who knows what might have happened to Luke if he had not pushed him out of the way… Anakin didn't like to dwell upon it. He would give his life a thousand times over for any of his children, Han, even. Because he would never be able to forgive himself if one of them passed into the Force before him.

"We thought we were going to lose you," Leia told him, drawing him out of his thoughts. "If Luke hadn't found the antidote, we would have." Anakin turned his face back to her, surprised to hear what sounded like a wavering voice. Leia looked up from her lap and into his eyes, and suddenly the strong, eloquent, poised politician was gone, replaced by a small, worried girl.

Something inside of Anakin shifted, and suddenly, before Anakin could truly realize what was happening, he was embracing his daughter… his grown-up daughter, who was so intelligent, dignified, and strong. He was so proud of her, so immensely proud. He didn't have any words to say to her; he had never been a man of words, but somehow such a simple touch said it all.

Their embrace was broken a moment later by the entrance of Luke, who, upon entering, grinned immediately at the sigh of him awake. Luke immediately came over to the bed and drew up beside Leia, who had pulled away from Anakin and was wiping her moist eyes.

"Father," he greeted him with a wide smile on his features. "I'm glad to see you awake."

"Luke," he replied in relief, realizing not for the first time how grateful he was to have both him and Leia. Suddenly wanting to sit up so he could look them in the eyes, Anakin strengthened his stomach muscles and slowly pushed himself into a sitting position. It was more difficult than he expected, and soon Luke reached forward to firmly grasp his arm. He helped Anakin scoot back so he could sit against the headboard.

"We managed to chase down Jade," Luke told him as Anakin leaned back into his pillow. There were hints of pride in his voice. "Leia and I both."

Anakin glanced over at Leia, surprised that she had fought as well. He was suddenly torn between a mixture of parental disapproval of risk-seeking and fatherly pride at such an accomplishment. He watched as Leia allowed a small smile to grace her features, and soon found a reluctant one had spread across his as well.

"We tracked her down," Luke told him. "We cornered her, defeated her, and managed to bargain for the antidote."

Anakin nodded. "But what did you give her in return?" he asked his son, knowing that bargains were rarely one-sided.

Suddenly, the mood dropped, and Anakin came to realize he had asked the fatal question. Luke looked slightly uncomfortable as the pause lengthened. "I know you're not going to like it, Father," he said. "…But I think she's innocent."

Anakin frowned, Luke's words indeed disturbing him immensely. "What?"

"She claimed innocence through the entire thing. She says she was not involved in the plot at all."

"The security video," Anakin said, frustration creeping into his voice. Jade must have managed to fool both of his children, to trick them and manipulate them with her lies. "We _saw_ her there the night of the Provisional Dinner."

"I _know_, Father," Luke replied. "I sensed that she was telling the truth, as did Leia."

"For Force's sake, she was trained a Sith," Anakin replied, his irritation growing as he continued to speak. "She tried to kill you, Luke! She's not to be trusted! Any powerful force-sensitives can hide intent. How do you think Palpatine got to me?"

Luke and Leia were both quiet at that, and Anakin realized he might have just crossed a line. He amended his approach, calming himself as he began to speak once more.

"I know Jade," he told them, his voice more subdued. "I know her style. She's extremely powerful in the Force. She's also blindly loyal to those she works for."

"To the Emperor?" Luke asked him.

Anakin nodded. "When I knew her, she was very loyal to the Emperor, a trait that caused us to become hostile with one another. She wanted him to get rid of me because she thought I was disloyal."

"But you were," Luke pointed out.

"In the end, perhaps," Anakin admitted. "Although I suppose I kept a good number of things from him, just as much as he kept from me." Anakin looked from twin to twin, bringing them back to the main idea. "The point is that Jade will do anything for a person she's loyal to. If her loyalty has transferred since the death of the Emperor to another prominent figure, especially one that is involved this whole plot, then she is not to be trusted."

"She said it hasn't," Luke told him.

Anakin looked curiously at him.

"Her loyalty hasn't transferred," Luke explained to him. "She's still working on the Emperor's last command. That's why she tried to kill me."

"The Emperor's last command?"

"To kill Luke Skywalker," Luke said. "That was his last command, to be issued if he was killed."

The knowledge left Anakin much weaker than he expected. If Jade was hunting Luke, what were the chances that others were as well? It changed almost everything. Anakin had no idea that Palpatine's death was still causing repercussions. Somehow, he had always thought that the death of the old man would be the close, the end of that evil. Yet the man still continued to haunt them. Would he ever escape the chase of the Dark Side? Would Luke ever be free of its poison?

"The point is that she's not working for those that we're looking for. She's not currently working for anyone right now," Luke told him. "Only a dead man's last command."

There were many flaws with Luke's reasoning, but Anakin was suddenly too weary to argue. "What bargain did you make with her?" he asked his son.

"She helps us find the true assassin," Luke told him. "And we help her clear her name."

"That's it?"

Luke hesitated for a moment, as if trying to read Anakin's thoughts before he replied, but finally nodded.

"I don't like it," Anakin told them bluntly, after a pause of silence. "I don't trust her."

"I _know_, Father," Luke said, seeming exasperated. "I don't either. But when have we had a bigger lead?"

Anakin was silent. Luke was right, in a way, but that didn't stop Anakin from worrying about his safety and the safety of the family. He knew Jade. He had worked with Jade, and he didn't trust her. He was worried she might try to double-cross them. If she was guilty, she could lead them into a trap. If she was innocent, she could still use them to clear her name, and then only afterwards ensure that the Emperor's "last command" was fulfilled. What was there to trust about Jade?

Anakin did not respond, partly because he couldn't think of anything to say, and partly because they were interrupted with the sudden entrance of Padmé. He sighed inwardly. They would resume it at a later time.


	32. Lover's Reunion

Chapter Thirty-Two: Lover's Reunion

Luke and Leia both seemed to realize that the time between Anakin and Padmé should be private, so they both said temporary goodbyes to Anakin, and then parted from the room.

"Keep Han company for a moment," Padmé told them with a small smile as they went, giving them each a kiss on the cheek as they passed by. Soon, they closed the door behind them, leaving Anakin and Padmé alone.

"Padmé," Anakin said with relief, and suddenly something lurched inside of him. Suddenly, he wanted nothing more than to be in her embrace, touching and kissing her.

As if Padmé felt the same way, soon she was moving toward him quickly, sitting on the bed beside him and embracing him.

Although as weak as he was, Anakin tried his best to return her affectionate actions; he could feel her hands moving over his head, combing through his hair and cupping his ears and neck as she kissed him. He moved his hands down to her expanding waist, rubbing her back and sides in slow, rhythmic circles as by way of comfort. Their kiss was long and tender, and when their lips broke off from one another, Anakin whispered to her, "Please tell me you haven't been too worried." His hand came up to tug at the curls by her ears.

Padmé's brown orbs scoured his gaze, as if asking him through her furrowed brow why she _shouldn't _have been worried. "Ani, your fever was too high these past two nights. You didn't move for almost a day after we placed you here. I didn't know if you were going to get better or worse. Of course I was worried."

"You shouldn't be," Anakin told her softly. "Not in your condition."

"I'm fine," she replied. "Me and the baby both. It's you we've been worried about."

"I'm okay," he told her softly, touching the smooth skin between her neck and jaw. "I've been worse."

Padmé's body stiffened slightly, and Anakin frowned when he realized he must have said something wrong. "What?"

"I hate it when you say that," she replied. "It just reminds me of how our life used to be… back then in the Clone Wars…"

"You didn't like how our life used to be?" he asked her softly.

"I didn't like not knowing when you would come home," she told him. "…Not knowing if you would ever come back to me. There were always those times when there were whispers that you'd been killed… you and Obi-Wan. I lived in constant agony not knowing if they were true or not… I already knew things were worse than what they seemed."

"You didn't lose me," he told her gently, brushing the curls from her face.

"I could have," Padmé replied, her tone suddenly sharper.

Anakin simply leaned in to kiss her once more, long and tenderly. He could feel his love and desire for her burning inside of him, and he wanted to show her how much her loyalty meant to him. He knew, even if she denied it, that she had been neglecting herself over the past two days for him. He knew her well enough to say that she had been probably sitting by his side, perhaps almost the entire time. And as much as he disliked the idea of her neglecting her health for him, he was also touched by the action of genuine loyalty and love.

When they broke apart once more, Padmé seemed to be more relaxed and soothed. She moved closer to Anakin, curling up beside him and laying her head down on his shoulder as his arm snaked around her.

"I assume the twins told you what happened?" she asked him, her voice lowering in tone.

Anakin nodded.

"Did they tell you about their agreement with the assassin?"

Anakin hesitated, his mood suddenly darkening, and then nodded again.

"What do you think?" she asked him, tracing his chest with her finger in thought.

Anakin shook his head. "I don't like it," he admitted. "But Luke and Leia seemed fairly certain."

"It's a risky move," Padmé said. "What do you know about her?"

"Jade?" he asked her. "She's dangerous. She was unshakably loyal to Palpatine, and even more so to her honor. She's a talented fighter and sly assassin, I'll grant her that."

"And her last order was to kill Luke. How can we even trust her?"

"We can't," he answered. "If we chose to follow this plan, we will have to tread carefully."

"Outsmarting her before she can outsmart us," Padmé added. They then faded into silence, allowing their thoughts to settle.

"We have valuable people on our side," Anakin said, attempting to lighten the mood. A smile spread across his face as he glanced into her eyes. "A senator, a smuggler, an ex-queen, and two Jedi knights seems like a good mix. …Or three Jedi knights, I suppose. Leia's almost done her training."

"You're forgetting that we have a family to protect," Padmé reminded him. He could hear the disapproval in her voice. She didn't want them to go through with it; she had told him multiple times that she would prefer it if Mothma could handle the situation. "The attack a few months ago was way too close to home for my comfort. I would prefer if none of us got involved from here on out."

"Family comes first," he agreed with her. "Believe me, I want nothing more to get rid of this threat once and for all. But this has to do with us, not Mothma's men. We'll be the ones to draw them out."

"Shall I march into battle with the lot of you, then?"

Though she was obviously teasing him, the thought still made him pale. "Absolutely not."

"I did it when I was pregnant with Luke and Leia," she replied with a cynical smile. "What's so different now?"

"What's different now is I actually have a _say_ in it… instead of hearing about it a few months later," he replied firmly. She raised an eyebrow, and he continued, "Besides, you're much more pregnant now than you were then."

"Hmm," Padmé replied softly, running her hand over his chest. "Now you know how I feel." Her eyes flickered up to meet his. "I dislike like the idea as much as you."

"Mmm," he replied in acquiescence, tightening his hold around her shoulders. He chose not to reply to that, knowing that he could say little to console her. Padmé had always been a woman of action, but when it came to family she was never comfortable with the idea of her loved ones partaking in it, even if it was necessary. He leaned in to place a lingering kiss on her lips, hoping to soothe her.

Padmé just gave him a teasingly sardonic look, even though she accepted his kiss. "Kissing is not going to make it better, Jedi."

Anakin chuckled, knowing better than to try to get the better of her. As she relaxed once more against his chest and the teasing dropped, he turned his mind to the little one yet to come, placing a hand on her belly. "How is the baby?" he asked her gently.

"Going to burst out at any moment," she replied with a small sigh as he moved his hand over the bump. "I feel like a Bantha."

Anakin smiled as he felt the little one kick under his palm. "I suppose this was about the month when you gave birth to Luke and Leia."

"Jinn was early as well," she added. "I should be giving birth soon, even though I know there're supposed to be two more months after this."

"It will go fast," Anakin said.

"I'm not sure if I can imagine getting any bigger," she told him.

"You'll always be beautiful to me," he replied, meaning it. He placed another kiss on her lips, gentle and lingering, hoping that she knew he was speaking from his heart.

Padmé turned her body so she was closer to him. Her hands reached up to his head again, cupping his ears as they continued to kiss. "Are you trying to seduce me?" she asked him between a pause in their kiss.

"I don't think I'm strong enough to try much," he replied. Then, with a teasing glint in his eye, he added seductively, "But we _are_ on a bed, and the door's closed, and you're looking very beautiful today…"

"Speaking of the baby," Padmé interrupted, a teasing glint in her eye after they had broken apart. "You forgot to mention that it's a girl."

Anakin was surprised to hear that she knew. He had not planned on telling her, seeing as she had said she wished for it to remain a surprise until the child's birth. "How do you know?"

"Your son told me."

"Luke?"

"No, Jinn."

"Jinn?"

"He's bonded with her, just as you have."

Anakin could not help but be surprised. "He has?"

Padmé just smiled and shook her head, though more out of fondness than negation of his words. "So you admit that you have bonded with her?"

"She initiated it," Anakin granted her, smiling as he recalled the memory. He ran his fingertips over the creases of her collarbone. "But yes, we know each other's presences."

"Why didn't you tell me she was a girl?" Padmé asked, and Anakin could sense the disappointment in her voice.

"You said you wanted to be surprised, love," Anakin replied, kissing her cheek. "I didn't want to tell you I knew."

Padmé seemed to relent at that, submitting to his slow kisses. "We'll have to think of girl names, then," she said with a small sigh and a smile.

Anakin nodded. At least they could look forward to something over the next few days. Especially when their world seemed so unpredictable around them.


	33. Straight into the Dragon's Mouth

Chapter Thirty-Three: Straight into the Dragon's Mouth

The next few days were met with the full recovery of Anakin, and the shifting of the family's attention to the upcoming meeting with Jade. Relationships quickly became tense between family members, due to differing views on how the situation should handled and how much Mara Jade should be trusted.

Luke, for one, was almost certain that the plan would succeed. He didn't trust Jade fully – he'd be a fool if he did – but he was fairly certain that Jade truly did want for her name to be cleared. And he could guarantee that, something that not many others could. If she was truly innocent, she would have no choice but to return. And if she was guilty… well, he didn't want to dwell upon that idea, as much as he knew it was a possibility. A part of Luke still believed she would return anyway, guilty or not, even if perhaps for a darker purpose.

Luke knew his father and mother disagreed with him. Even Leia and Han seemed to be doubtful of his plan. Luke suspected that the origin of his father and mother's disagreement stemmed more from their concern of his safety than anything; they seemed to not trust Jade in the least, an opinion he had tried to reverse to no avail, while Han and Leia's doubts seemed to stem from the firm belief that there was more than what met the eye when it came to Jade. Luke saw their points, but he found that he was latched onto the idea that perhaps they could make something good out of it, be it finding the true assassin, locating the masterminds behind the entire plot, or perhaps turning Jade's loyalty from Palpatine. Perhaps she could be turned like his father had.

Mara Jade. Luke could not help it; he had thought of her often since their last meeting on that fateful day. As much as he had been angry towards her at the time, he could not help but admire her skill and cunning. Unlike Vadim, whom he felt disgust and revulsion for, he could not help but feel a begrudging respect for Jade. She had made her way cleverly, evading authority and keeping herself safely hidden away in the years following the war. Her ingenuity and intelligence were obvious, as were her talents with the blade. She also had startlingly green eyes…

Luke shook his head, not knowing where the thought was coming from. He often found that her image appeared in his head unbidden, and did not know why.

Luke moodily rose from his bed, glancing at his chrono. Today was the day. Jade had contacted him only the day before with instructions for them, just as she had told him she would. It had been disturbing to say the least, knowing that Jade was aware of their residence, and further more that she had managed to slip past all of Mothma's top security defense to reach him, but she had been very specific in her instructions. They were to meet her today in the Coruscanti sublevels at 0900 hours, which meant that they needed to get going soon.

He glanced behind him at the other bed in the room where Han was still snoring peacefully. Luke doubted Han had even remembered to set an alarm, but Luke didn't feel like going over there to wake him up. If he wasn't up soon, Luke figured he'd throw a shoe at him or something… Luke rubbed his face with his hands. It was going to be a long day. Why could he sense that already?

* * *

The family, with the exclusion of Padmé, Sabé, and Jinn, set off about two hours later to the meeting place Jade had specified in the Coruscanti sublevels.

Luke had rarely been to the Coruscanti sublevels, and for good reason. The underground was a dangerous place. Although sections were alit with pulsing neon lights and stirring with the booming of club music, around every corner laid dark corners where no light reached, where the heavy skyscrapers above blocked out all natural light and the only illumination was the dull reflection of artificial light from the pipes above or the blinking fires in the pipes of alleyway spice addicts. If the light wasn't grim enough, smell oozed from the sewers below, spilling out into the city and cloaking it in a thick layer of stench that passed through in near stagnant waves.

"Where did she say she'd meet us?" Han asked him in a low voice as he and Luke led their group of four into another alleyway.

"Block away from the East Hollow," he answered quietly, making sure that his senses were extended carefully. If Jade decided to attack, they would need to be on their guard.

"It's 0900 hours," Han murmured. "Where is she?"

As if to answer his question, the flapping of a cloak broke the silence, and Mara Jade, clothed in her usual black attire, landed stealthily in the alleyway before them.

For a moment, as Jade slowly straightened, the two sides regained their silence, regarding each other carefully.

"I've come, just as promised," Jade said in a low voice.

"This deal isn't over yet," muttered Han threateningly.

"No, not until you clear my name," she retorted, her green eyes hardening.

"Not until you help us hunt down Vadim," Luke corrected in a low voice.

Jade regarded him carefully for a moment. "I see you've brought the whole clan," she said critically. Her eyes flickered to Anakin, her eyes containing mockery. "How's the shoulder?"

Anakin's jaw was hard when he replied, "_Fine._"

"I'm not taking all of you," she said, turning back to look at Luke. "It's too risky. We could get caught."

"Like it or not, they're coming with us," Luke replied firmly. "If you don't like it, then the deal's off."

It was Jade's turn to harden her jaw. "Fine," she said coolly. "But don't blame me if they get caught."

With that, she turned around and out of the alleyway, and, after a small hesitation, the four of them followed after her.

She led them through the alleyways until they entered into a dimly lit club. It was grimy to say the least, and it reminded Luke startlingly of that familiar bar in Mos Eisley all those years ago, filled with scum and villainy, as Ben had put it. Yet the people here were not completely like that; each seemed to have an air of unspoken wealth and shadowy secrecy.

The room itself was large, and filled with the murmur of conversation, the tinkling of glasses, and the laughter of scantily dressed women. Those nearest the entrance glanced up at the group as they entered, but most brushed it off, merely turning their heads with a raise of the nose or eyebrow. Luke could only barely pick out their faces among the dim neon light of the bar.

"Fine people you got here," Han muttered under his breath to Jade, and although she was two paces in front of them, Luke could see her cheeks redden, though with anger or embarrassment Luke was unsure.

"Where are we going?" Luke murmured to her as they headed towards the back of the club.

"To meet the Boss."

"Who's the Boss?" Leia asked her as she and Anakin drew closer.

"Leader of the Assassin's Guild," Mara murmured back.

"That sounds ominous," Han muttered, eliciting a sharp glance from Jade.

"Will the Boss want to speak with us?" Luke asked. If he were truly the leader of an assassin's organization, how would he take to republican Jedi coming to meet with him? They would probably be a threat in his eyes.

"Depends," Jade said.

"On what?" Leia asked her.

"How convincing you can be."

Luke bit back an irritable retort. He knew that Jade was trying to be as unhelpful as possible. Instead, he focused on keeping an eye out for danger. Who knew what – or who – was lurking in the dim room. He didn't trust these people in the least.

They stopped right before they had reached a door to the club's back room. There, Jade turned to them.

"Well?" prodded Han impatiently when Jade seemed to be making no move to lead them in.

"I'm not going in," Jade told them. "You're on your own."

"You _are _coming in," corrected Luke. "That was the agreement."

"That was never a part of our agreement," challenged Jade. "I told you that I would help you find the assassin. This is the farthest I can take you."

"So the Boss is the one?" Luke asked her. "He's the assassin?"

"He's the one in charge of organizing assassinations," she corrected. "He deals out the assignments. He'll be in contact with your assassin. There's no doubt about it."

"But he doesn't plan _all _assassinations," Leia pointed out. She had a point. There was no permanent "top man" in fields like this; the individuals were too shaky and subject to blackmail, bribes, or betrayal. They would sell each other out for prices. "If he didn't plan this particular one, then why then should he be in contact with our assassin?"

"The Boss makes it his job to know everything," Jade replied. "He offers protection, and he gets part of the share. The assassin and the Boss always benefit, whether or not the Boss is the one to hand out the initial assignment."

"But either way, the Boss's still not our assassin," Luke insisted. "Which means that your job is not finished."

"I'm not going in there," Jade said. "My place, my terms."

Luke's scowl deepened as he observed how determined she was. Although he strongly disapproved, a part of him knew it was futile to push it. Knowing it was pointless to argue, Luke simply glanced back at the others to make sure they were following, and then entered into the room. The last thing he saw was Jade's mistrustful glance into the depths of the darkness, and then the door shut behind them.


	34. Demons Hide in Shadows

_Hello all! Just a brief note from your friendly Sphinx: I will not be posting tomorrow because of travel conflicts, but you can expect the next chapter in two days' time. I hope you're all enjoying the story, and thanks so much for the reviews! Unfortunately, you'll have to wait to see what happens to Luke. My apologies if this creates emotional agitation, but at least you know I wouldn't kill him off... right? _

* * *

Chapter Thirty-Four: Demons Hide in Shadows

Leia's first impression of the room behind the door was that it was very dark. Although the bar had not been well lit in itself, it seemed that this room was even darker, and it took a moment for Leia to adjust her eyes to its shadowy crevices. The room around them was very small, confined, and cold, and it felt cramped with all four of them shut inside. On the ceiling of the room was a small rectangular window, through which eerie light spilled onto a desk-like table below. The light was so dim and did so little that Leia wondered why the constructors had even bothered to put it in at all.

As her eyes adjusted, Leia soon became aware that there were two other pieces of furniture in the room; behind the desk, sitting musty and dark, were two large, plush, low-seated chairs. And, as Leia continued to study them, she became aware that the shadows deep inside the chairs were not shadows at all. Only when they moved did Leia realize they were not alone in the room. There were two others as well.

The figures appeared to have halted their conversation upon the four's arrival, and soon one of the figures murmured something to the other in a language Leia did not recognize. One of the two rose, moved around the desk, and out of the room, so swiftly that Leia barely caught sight of the figure's dark purple skin and horned head before he – or she – left the room.

The remaining figure made no move to stand to greet them. Instead, he or she seemed content to remain in the depths of the chair.

"We've come to talk with you," Luke eventually told the shadow, his voice low and steady.

The shadow did not reply, not that Leia had truly expected it to. She had a lingering feeling that they were walking into a trap. Perhaps they shouldn't have come here after all…

When the shadow remained silent, Luke continued, "We want to inquire about a job done by someone who works with you."

Still silence. It was beginning to become uncomfortable. Leia's hand drifted down to the blaster on her hip. Just in case.

"We know who you are," Luke told him. Leia was pleased to hear his voice remain steady and authoritative, even as the silence continued. "We know your involvement in the assassination attempt against Mon Mothma and the Provisional Council."

Still silence.

"We want to know where the Devaronian is." Luke's voice was threatening now.

The silence continued, until, finally, a voice came from the shadow. It was musky and deep, and a quiet, humorless chuckle followed shortly after, chilling Leia to the bone. "Do you?" It was a challenge.

"We know that you oversee assassinations," Luke replied fearlessly, "Providing assassins with protection if you get a share of the profit."

Silence met his words, no doubt allowing the shadow a moment to scrutinize them closely. "And you assume your assassin is one of these?" the voice inquired, his voice honeyed with contempt.

Luke was silent in reply, and Leia was almost sure she knew why. The Boss was playing with them. They both knew that there was no proof the Boss even was involved with Vadim; it had only been an assumption of them and Jade – and a dangerous assumption at that. Leia was certain that whether or not the Boss was truly involved with Vadim, he would take any necessary steps to protect himself and his business.

"We are certain," Luke said finally, with confidence that wavered, and Leia hoped the Boss could not read it.

Leia could sense the eyes of the shadow creeping over them, over her. It sent a cold tingle down her spine, seeing his eyes glitter in the dark but unable to tell where they were fixed. Then, finally, the voice spoke again, with hints of not-so-subtle mockery. "_Oh_? You presume much, Jedi." The Boss broke off his façade and cut to the chase, narrowing his eyes. "What's in it for me?" he demanded.

"You're not in a position to gamble," Luke returned. "You give us the name, and perhaps the Republic will… temporarily overlook your activity down on the lower levels."

"Is that a _threat_, Jedi?" The tone was now low, dangerous.

"Only if you make the wrong decision," Luke returned, his voice equally challenging.

Silence returned, tension building, until finally…

"I don't know him."

They were silent, more out of shock and surprise than anything else.

"Wha-" Luke began, but the Boss cut him off.

"_I don't know him_."

The tone was too firm, too condescending. Leia could feel dishonesty radiating like an aura around the shadow. He was lying… they all knew it. Yet the danger in his tone was such that they all seemed to hesitate. It meant danger to pursue, and they all knew it.

"I would not suggest trifling with me, _Jedi,_" he said coldly.

"I would not suggest resistance," Luke replied. "We outnumber you, four to one. It's only a matter of time before the Republic finds out about your business, and then I assure you, your life will become very difficult."

It was the Boss's turn to be silent. Leia did not sense his resignation, however, only the strengthening of his determination and the rising of his hostility. The refusal of both sides to back down was only raising the tension in the room.

"This is your last chance," Luke warned him. "Give us his location, or we expose you."

The voice, when it spoke finally, was low and colder than ever – a hiss, like a reptile about to strike. "_Very well_. "

Chills ran through Leia's spine. There was something off in the Boss's tone. It was cold, more dangerous. In the back of her mind, she knew he was not going to help them. He had never planned to. And as she looked sideways to her father, Han, and Luke, she knew that they suspected the same.

Suddenly, all hell broke loose.

Before Leia completely realized what was happening, two things happened at once. As the shadow of the Boss suddenly fled back into the shadows, disappearing into what appeared to be a secret connecting room, the room was suddenly assaulted with laser fire and blaster shots.

"Duck!" Luke shouted to the others, but the four of them, already battle-experienced, had already dropped to the floor at the first snap of the blaster. Shots sailed over their heads, missing them but coming close enough to singe the walls above them and fill the room with a scorched smell.

Leia looked around desperately. If the room wasn't so dark, perhaps she could identify the sources of the firing. But right now, when they were under the stress of siege, and in an area of no visibility, it was pointless.

"Luke," Leia hissed to her brother. "We need to get out of here." But instead of meeting the comprehending nod of Luke, she was suddenly aware as she turned to him that Luke was inching his way away from her… heading rapidly towards the area where the Boss had disappeared.

"_Luke!_" she hissed louder, suddenly alarmed at her brother's rash actions. What was he thinking? Did he think he could just go after the Boss? He would be killed! "_Luke_!"

The blaster fire increased in the room, striking dangerously close to them. Leia watched as Luke disappeared from view, and she could feel Han's hand on her arm, pulling her away.

"It's too dangerous to follow – we'll be shot," Han hissed to her as he pulled her in the opposite direction, back from whence they came. "We can meet up with him later."

A part of Leia wanted to resist the hand pulling her, to rush after her brother where he had gone, but the sensible portion of her won out. There was no way she would survive if she went after him – not with the laser shots striking the room as they now were. Han was right. They would meet up with him later. Luke was intelligent; he would be able to fend for himself.

With a last glance in the direction where Luke had disappeared, Leia finally followed Han and Anakin out of the room.


	35. Gaping Maw

Chapter Thirty-Five: Gaping Maw

Luke had been rash. He now knew that he had been rash. He didn't know what he had been thinking when he had launched himself after the Boss, but he had been so focused on the dream that perhaps the mystery behind the assassination could finally be cleared up, that he had little considered the risks of acting on impulse. Now not only was he stuck in the dark tunnel that the Boss had fled into, but he was completely lost.

It had been fifteen minutes. No sign of the Boss. He seemed to have vanished like a shadow. Now Luke was trapped in a drippy, damp tunnel, with little light and even less room to breathe. He doubted wandering around would much help his predicament – perhaps returning from whence he came would be the better solution – but Luke couldn't risk that quite yet, not when they had been barraged with blaster shots that would have killed any unseasoned warrior. It had been sheer luck and experience that had saved them, because someone obviously wanted them dead; Luke did not dare go back there when the numbers were so uneven and the danger so real.

He regretted it partially: abandoning his sister, father, and Han to chase after the Boss. He even felt a little bad about the worried look his sister had shot him before he had disappeared. He knew he worried her – he worried all of them one time or another – but he had really thought that this time he might have been able to capture the Boss and end the entire plot.

Yet here he was. In a dark tunnel. Dark and moist.

Speaking of which, Luke was not a fan of the dripping ceilings, not when the liquid seemed to run surprisingly warm down the back of his neck-

Suddenly, something fairly large and firm suddenly smacked into Luke, sending sudden white spots through his vision.

"_Fierfek_!" exclaimed a voice nearby, surprisingly close. The voice sounded remotely familiar…

"Mara… Jade?"

"…Skywalker?"

Now that Luke could see her more clearly, he noted that her previously neat hair had been messed and ruffled; pieces stuck out of her braid as if she had been involved in a physical fight. And judging from the bare patches of skin showing between the rips in her black jumpsuit, Luke deduced that this was not an unlikely guess.

To say that Luke was surprised to see her would be an understatement.

There was a pause of disbelief from both sides. Then, a long and angry string of curse words greeted Luke, most of them directed at him and his whole blasted line of ancestors, and soon, before Luke had even realized it, he was being shoved against one of the walls, his back colliding against the wall.

"_E chu ta_!" she spat, aiming a punch at his face but getting his shoulder when he squirmed away. "You _kriffing,_ overgrown can of corrosion! Vong! The vaping hell! You sold me out! I should have killed you when I had the chance-"

Luke backed away and held his hands up soothingly as he tried to calm her. His heart was thundering inside of his chest. He had no idea why she was in such a fury, but he didn't like getting the brunt of her anger. "Mara, slow down! I don't know what you're talking about!"

That seemed to anger her further. "You don't _kriffing _know!" She mocked, starting towards him aggressively.

"We didn't sell you out!" Luke insisted as she stalked towards him. He opened his mind up to her, letting her sense his sincerity and hoping it would pass through her angered mind. "We never sold you out!"

He could see Jade slowing in her advance, and her anger soon faded, replaced by deep suspicion and apparent frustration. "What do you mean?"

Luke could not deny he was grateful to see her calm. "We never sold you out. We kept our side of the bargain."

"I was attacked," Jade insisted angrily, although now Luke sensed that her anger was not directed at him. "I lost my lightsaber _and_ my dagger in the ambush… The Boss somehow knew that I had led you to him."

Luke shook his head. "It wasn't us. We were attacked as well. I was separated from the others."

Jade just shook her head in frustration and stalked away a few meters, as if releasing her anger through her pacing. Luke watched her go, knowing that she wouldn't go far. The tunnel was long and dark. It would be better for the both of them if they stayed together, especially if Jade had truly lost her weapons. He knew she would come back.

"Like it or not, we're going to have to work together if we want to get out of here," Luke spoke to her retreating back. "There have to be blast doors on both ends of this tunnel. And if insulation and circulation is as bad as I suspect it is, it'll be a good idea to get out of this space as soon as possible."

Luke watched a strange change come over Jade; her shoulders relaxed, and the wrinkles of frustration on her face smoothed. When she turned back around to face him, her expression was that of her usual calm blankness. "Well?" Jade demanded coolly, raising an eyebrow. "Then which way?"

"You tell me," Luke replied. "You're the one who's familiar with this place."

"I've never been down _here_," Jade returned dryly. "But if you're looking for a blast door, there was one a little ways down. Just as you predicted, _Skywalker_." Luke could not tell if the additional comment was intended to mock him, but he chose to ignore it either way. "…But it's _sealed_, before you ask," she added cynically. "Its controls are sealed off in a metal container. I couldn't open it because I don't have my blade."

"Well then," Luke returned, a plan already in mind. "I suppose we'll have to do some wiring." He slipped past Jade, who looked frankly peeved.

* * *

"This metal's too thick," Luke said upon studying the controls of the blast door. In the corner of his eye he could see Jade making a sort of sarcastic facial expression, but he chose to ignore it. "I can probably slice it open…" Igniting his blade, he directed the green tip into the metal box, making sure to keep his mark shallow enough so that the saber didn't scorch any of the wires they were going to be rearranging. When he drew back and the cover fell to the tunnel ground, a huge tangle of wires was revealed.

Luke pulled them out of the box, trying to make sense of the cords. He had always been good at things like this, but even he could admit that the wiring was complicated. There were just so many, and the lighting in the hall was thin.

"Do we have a light?" he asked her.

"Only the glow from your blade," was the answer, in such a manner that Luke could not quite identify her tone. "But you wouldn't give it to me."

"Not when you're trying to kill me," Luke told her.

"Who says I'm trying to kill you?" she coolly challenged him as he continued to fiddle with the wires. "I want my half of the bargain completed."

"And then we'll go back to killing one another," Luke filled in sarcastically. "Sounds like an excellent plan. I know I can trust you."

"Listen," she snapped. "I don't like you, Skywalker, but you can at least have a little faith that I'll want to save my own skin."

"Right," snorted Luke as he pulled out another long wire. "I guess the problem is that we can't trust one another."

Mara Jade did not answer that, but Luke didn't bother to turn around to look at her.

There was silence for a minute or so, in which Luke continued to untangle the long pieces.

"Obviously we're different in views," he began again, adopting a casual tone. "But are we truly different in character?"

There was a pause. Then Mara's voice answered, full of scorn. "We're nothing alike."

"Aren't we?"

"No."

Luke smiled as he continued to sort the wires. "You have an unwavering loyalty to your master. You're highly ambitious, eager to prove yourself, and love the thrill of a chase."

Mara Jade was silent, but Luke could sense her frown. "You're insinuating that you are too," she finally said, her voice containing hints of criticism.

"I'm loyal to my family, to my cause. I'm eager to prove myself, and I have high plans for the future."

"That's why we don't get along," Jade told him.

"Because we have different aspirations?"

"Because we have different loyalties," she finished. "Your loyalty will not sway. Neither will mine."

Ah. There it was. The end of the wire. Luke pulled it out and began to search for the second half. "Your Empire is finished," Luke told her. "Your Emperor is dead."

"You killed him." The accusation sent frigid waves through the tunnel.

"No," Luke told her.

There was a pause, and Luke could sense anger surging inside of her.

"You killed him," she insisted angrily. "Don't deny it."

"I couldn't take down two Siths at once," Luke answered her. "I'm not that powerful."

"You dare imply that Vader had a hand in it?"

"I'm not implying anything," Luke answered her.

"You killed them both," she insisted.

"I killed neither," he answered. "Palpatine was killed by another. Vader lives."

"You lie," she told him.

Luke suddenly turned to face her. He didn't know why she had such an unwavering loyalty to the Emperor, but it was unsettling. "Do you really have such loyalty to Palpatine?" he demanded. "You've seen him. You know what he's done to others. He's ruined lives, upset homes, destroyed families… and all for his seek of ultimate power. How you can look up to such a man is disturbing."

"You didn't know him," Jade interrupted angrily.

"He was using you!" Luke told her. "He didn't care what happened to you. Any fondness for you was his pleasure at what you could bring him."

Mara Jade's brow deepened in anger, and her lips parted to speak, but they seemed to freeze in silent protest.

"You were replaceable. You all were! I only hope you have not come to the naïve assertion that you were the only Emperor's Hand."

Jade's mouth opened and closed in angry protest.

"He even saw Vader as replaceable," Luke told her, turning back around. "Why do you think he wished to capture me?" Luke was silent for a moment. "Is that loyalty, Mara? Or is that utility?"

Once more, Mara Jade did not reply.


	36. Fate is Secured

Chapter Thirty-Six: Fate is Secured

"_Ha!_" Luke said in triumph when the wires were finally separated. With a final smile of victory on his features, he twisted the two disconnected wires together, and following a loud groan, the blaster door hissed open.

Glancing back at Mara Jade to check to see if the redhead was still behind him, Luke headed through the blaster door and immediately located a ladder leading up the wall and out of the tunnel. Above was the faint light of the sky.

"It's about time," Luke said with relief. They had been stuck in the tunnel for close to an hour, talking only in tense clips. After their conversation about the Emperor, Mara had seemed even more on edge than usual, making Luke believe that what he had told her had really stirred her up. Although he liked to think that perhaps her loyalty had been swayed, he could not deny that her tumultuous emotions were now taking their beating on him.

Luke headed straight for the ladder and climbed it, not waiting to see if Jade was going to follow. She did, however, and they both found themselves in an alleyway, with the Coruscanti sky and buildings towering above them.

"And there's the exit," Luke told her, heading towards a barbed wire gate that lead out of the alleyway.

Mara Jade caught up with his quick steps towards the exit, her brow furrowed with an unasked question.

When they had reached the gate and Luke had pulled wire clippers from his utility belt, Mara finally spoke.

"What do you mean Vader is still alive?"

Luke could not help it; he froze for a moment, before forcing himself to resume a normal expression. "Just what I said. He's still alive."

"Do you know where he is?"

"No."

Luke knew that she suspected his lie, but she seemed to drop that line of inquiry. Her interests seemed to lie more in the truth of what had happened; she also seemed to know that pursuing that topic might cause Luke to shut down.

"He killed the Emperor, didn't he?" she asked him.

"He had little choice."

"What do you mean?" Jade asked him.

Luke clipped the wires with a vengeance, as if getting done faster might give him a chance to evade her question. He gave a frustrated sigh, as if to let Jade know he was irked by her pestering, and then replied, "Palpatine was asking him to do something against his moral beliefs."

Jade scoffed at that, as he suspected she might. "Vader didn't have moral beliefs." When Luke was silent in reply, she seemed to realize there was some truth in the answer, however, and the smirk was wiped from her face. "What did he ask him to do?"

Luke just set his jaw and gave a final snip to the wires, therefore freeing the gate. He grabbed it and swung it open, perhaps harder than he intended. He would not answer the question.

Jade seemed to realize this as well, and her mind seemed to return back to the original revelation. "How could you have just stood by and allowed it to happen?" she abruptly challenged him, growing angry as he started a brisk pace away from her. "Watch Vader commit treason? Aren't Jedi bringers of peace and justice?"

"You're free to go," Luke told her when she continued to march after him. She reminded him surprisingly of Leia, who, like Jade, persisted with questions until she got what she wanted to know. "Isn't that what you want? To go back to plotting assassinations?" As Luke turned around to look angrily at her, however, he was soon met with a set of hands that pushed him against the alleyway wall.

"I need to know," she hissed, her face near his. "Why did you just stand by?"

Even though Luke knew that her anger was coming more from the upsetting of her previous life than anger because of him, it was still the final straw for Luke. "I wasn't standing by," he snapped. "I was being tortured by your dear master. Vader saved both our lives by killing him."

"Vader could have killed him plenty of times!" retorted Mara, eyes narrowed.

Luke shook her off. "He was just as dead as I was!" he snapped. "The Emperor wanted him gone too. He uses people and then he disposes of them! It's his nature!"

"I think you're lying," Jade growled.

"That the Emperor doesn't dispose of people?"

"No-" she began, but Luke cut across her.

"Admit it, Mara, you've seen it too!"

"I'm not denying I've seen it," she returned angrily. "But I don't think you're telling the whole truth."

"You think there's a whole truth?"

"You have some sort of a connection to Vader, don't you?" she continued. "I knew there was a reason for his obsession with you besides your abilities. What was it? A business partnership? A deal to overthrow the Emperor together?"

"Yeah, I make deals with Sith lords every day," snapped Luke. Mara's line of thinking was much too close to the truth for his liking.

"No, it's not that," she continued. "You're too much of a Jedi. You obviously turned him down, or you would be ruling together. Yet he still saved you, and he is still living a quiet life."

"Perhaps he wanted to set up shop," Luke returned with sarcasm that would have made Leia proud. "Being a military man can do wonders to your priorities."

"You do know where he is," Jade continued. "You're protecting him, for some reason."

"You're the one who's been following me," Luke told her impatiently. "You tell me if I've had contact with a Sith lord." Then, with a final spin on his heel, he marched away from Jade at a brisk pace. To his relief, she didn't follow him. She seemed to know he would not reveal anything else.

When Luke was almost out of the alley, he could hear her calling after him, "You need to hold up your end of the bargain, Skywalker."

Luke did not bother to reply, instead continuing to head out, feeling very frustrated. And just as he was almost out of the alley, her voice suddenly rang out once more.

"Skywalker, wait."

If it had been any different of a tone, Luke perhaps might not have stopped. But there was something in Jade's voice that caused him to halt in his steps and turn around. Perhaps it was the resignation, or the weariness that seemed to emanate from her, but Luke shortly turned around to look at her.

"I know where the Boss is," she told him. "I know where he went, and I know that he's going to meet with Bogdaan Vadim."

Disbelief met her words.

How could that be possible? Struck simultaneously with the knowledge that she had been trying to trick them and was now providing them with valuable information, Luke was not sure what to think.

"What?"

Jade drew up to him. "I can help you."

"Why?" Luke challenged her, realizing suddenly that Jade knew more than she was letting on. She had the entire time. "You _knew_ going to the Boss might be a trap," he accused her. "You were hoping he'd kill us off, weren't you?"

Mara's mouth opened and closed in silent protest. Her eyebrows lowered in anger, but Luke pushed on.

"But when he and his men turned on you as well, you have no choice but to ally yourself with us, isn't that true?"

Mara drew herself up to him. "Yes, mostly!" she admitted angrily. "Maybe I _was_ hoping that they'd kill you off. I didn't tip them off, though, and I certainly haven't been working with them! Maybe I wished for once that my problems could be solved in one day. But it's become more complicated than that."

"That's for certain," Luke added, a hint of sarcasm in his tone. "Now you've made enemies on both sides."

"I never intended to," she snapped back defensively. "Would you like my help or not?"

"Are you going to double cross me?"

"No-"

"How do I know I can trust you?" When Jade was silent in reply, he spoke again. "Will you try to kill me after we're finished?"

Jade's mouth clamped shut. Something in her eyes flickered in resignation and guilt, and she briefly lowered her head. When she looked back up at him, her gaze was firm. "I don't know," she answered finally, and he could sense her honesty. Such an abrupt change in mood caused the frustration in his head to evaporate. And although Luke wished to reply to such an ambiguous response, something in Jade's body language told him to wait, told him that the answer would come out by itself.

"If what you are telling me about the Emperor is true," Jade began, her eyes avoiding his, "Then I don't know what to think any more." The emerald orbs came up sharply to meet his blue ones. Luke could sense her honesty radiating through the Force, and he suddenly realized that she was more vulnerable now than she had ever been. And she had chosen to share it with him.

With one last wary glance, Luke spoke finally, breaking the uncomfortable silence that had settled in between them. "Very well. But I would like to meet up with my family before we go."

* * *

_Hello, just another brief topic that I'd like to address. The question has often come up among my readers as to whether or not Mara Jade and Luke are a "thing" in this story. To tell you the truth, I've never liked that combination; it's because I've never read the EU novels, as I previously mentioned (and I don't really plan to), so I've just never been emotionally invested in their couple. If I had read them, this story might be a bit different. But I didn't, and so their relationship in this story is ambiguous (sort of a mutual respect thing), which leaves room for shippers and non-shippers alike to wish away. It's Luke/Mara if you squint, but I personally think that they're too different to get along (at least at this point), and no matter what change of heart Mara has in a 24-hour period, she wouldn't throw herself into his arms as they run into the sunset anyway. It's simply too early. She needs time to sort though and gather in her thoughts. So, fans of Mara Jade, you are welcome to view this as a potential setting-up for a future relationship. Go for it. Dream big. Non-shippers, you can breathe a sigh of relief. Han/Leia and Anakin/Padmé are the only "canon" couples in this particular story. Okay, rant over. Everyone happy. _


	37. Pursuing Hidden Truths

_Hello all! Just wanted to wish everyone a Merry Christmas, if you celebrate it! Enjoy the chapter!_

* * *

Chapter Thirty-Seven: Pursuing Hidden Truths

Leia could not describe the alleviation she felt when she finally met Luke again. He had commed them a half an hour before, telling them that he was alright and that he would meet them at their location as soon as he could, but she still felt more reassured now that he was with them in person. Watching him come towards them, Leia felt the worry slip from her shoulders.

"Luke!" Han greeted Luke in relief as Leia went up to her brother and tackled him in a hug. It was the most she could do when she felt no words could express her comfort.

She could feel Luke's arms return her hug, giving her a brief squeeze. She could tell that he was nowhere near as concerned as they had been, but she allowed him space anyway, breaking off their embrace shortly afterwards.

Anakin caught up with them shortly. What used to be a look of relief on his face quickly dissolved into anger. "Where have you been?" he demanded, to which Luke shrugged, slightly bashfully. Leia suspected that Anakin, who had been beside himself with worry for the past two hours, was only reacting with frustration out of the stress of their situation.

"Trapped in a tunnel underneath the club," Luke answered him. "The Boss sealed the blast doors so I couldn't follow him. They took a while to wire."

"For two hours, Luke!" Anakin replied angrily. "You were gone for two hours! No word. No calls. Your shields were up so tightly that I couldn't contact you. You could have been dead, or worse."

"…What's worse than being dead?" Han asked with a small frown, but he was quickly overridden by more angry words from Anakin.

"Two hours! We didn't know where you were. We didn't know where we could find you. It was too risky to return to the club. We didn't hear from you. What were we supposed to do?"

As Anakin continued to speak, movement in the corner of Leia's eye caused her gaze to snap sideways. Mara Jade was standing there – and why, Leia had no idea. The sight of the familiar redhead, however, elicited feelings of distaste in her mouth.

Anakin growled in frustration, turning away abruptly. He did not seem to see Jade standing there. "What if you had been captured? What if you had been injured? Or killed? What would I tell your mother?" He looked up at Luke, and Leia could see the fear in his blue eyes. It was one of the only times she had seen him truly afraid, and Luke seemed to see it too.

"I'm okay, Father," he told Anakin, his eyes alit with sincerity. Behind him, Mara Jade's eyes widened in surprise, but neither seemed to notice. "I promise."

Anakin's shoulders relaxed somewhat, and his brow smoothed. He nodded in understanding.

"I can take care of myself. I have for years," Luke told him. "Since before you even knew about me."

"I know," Anakin admitted, having the prudence to lower his head in guilt. After a moment, he raised his eyes once more to look at Luke. "I know, my son. But it doesn't stop me from worrying."

"Perhaps you can explain what happened, Luke?" Leia prodded him, feeling increasingly uncomfortable with the presence of Mara Jade nearby. She didn't like the fact that Jade was listening in on such a private and personal conversation.

"Mara says she thinks she might know where the Boss is meeting Vadim," Luke replied, and Leia was unsure if she liked the fact that he was addressing Jade as Mara. "If we follow to the location, we might be able to get two at once."

"It'll be difficult," Han said in a low tone.

"It'll be worth it," Leia corrected him.

"_If _we can get both of them," Anakin added, looking at both Leia and Han closely with an stern expression Leia could not quite identify.

The others simply nodded in silent, grim assent, sealing their path of action.

* * *

"How do you know the Boss and Vadim are meeting now?" Han hissed to Jade as they made their way along the narrow scaffolding following the pipe lines. They were moving single-file, softly, and as quietly as they could along the slender pathway.

"_Shhh_," Jade snapped back as she whirled around to face him. Her voice was a whisper. "Do you want to get caught?"

"Merely questioning your sanity, your grouchiness," Han retorted with his usual cheek. "Somehow, I doubt-" he began to say, but Jade cut him off with a frantic warning wave of her hand.

"_Down there_," Jade hissed to them, her voice only just above a whisper. Their eyes followed her hand down to where she was pointing, where, in the shadows below, two figures were gathered together, in hushed, inaudible conversation. Any thoughts Leia might have been thinking fled from her mind, and she was caught with baited breath. Right there. Both were right there. They could end this now.

"How do we know that's them?" Han asked, his words coming out in a low murmur.

"It's them," Leia replied quietly. There was no questioning the Force signatures of the two males below. As group moved closer, following Jade as quietly as they could, Leia's fingers moved subtly towards the comm in her belt. She had only to press it for Mothma to send reinforcements to their area.

Leia met Anakin's gaze and noted the warning in his eyes. It appeared he had been thinking the same thing. They would need all the back up they could get, especially because both were known to be slippery. And they both knew that they could not mess up this time. Not when they were so near. Not when they had come so far. They would have to strike fast. Leia's finger found the button.

"We're so close," Han breathed. "Do we go for them?"

Jade's abrupt shushing elicited glares from both Leia and Han, but Luke's urgent whisper of "Listen!" caused them to quiet.

Leia strained her ears to hear the conversation below.

"…Devaron does not wish to be revealed in the plot," the low voice of Bogdaan Vadim was saying to the thin figure beside him. "It's too risky as it is, and I'm going to need additional protection if we are to follow it through."

"You must follow through, but there must be no more mistakes, Vadim," hissed the Boss angrily. "You've already _butchered_ two attempts."

"The Jedi got in the way," growled Vadim in return. "No one could have predicted that. They've been prodding their noses in my business." He leaned closer to the Boss and continued, "They know too much already. I can't risk them following me, or our success will be jeopardized."

"_I_ will take care of them," said the Boss. "Do not worry, they will be silenced. I will ensure your path is clear."

"It's too late – the Republic has already been notified. Their authorities already know of my involvement. They already have men out searching for me. I'm telling you, it's too risky."

"They're blaming the Jade girl as well," the Boss replied impatiently. "If necessary, we can alter the guilt, she will take all of the persecution. You will go free." He leaned closer to Vadim. "What's important now is that they never find out Devaron's connection to the plot."

"And if they do?"

"They have no proof."

"This bill may still be passed after all. Then all this will be for nothing."

"Mark my words, Devaron will continue to receive its precious metals."

"We'd better – the government is crumbling from the inside. We need that relationship back with Antal 4; legal or not and public or not, both planets were benefitting from that slave labor."

Leia spared a shocked glance at her brother. Padmé had been right all along – this entire plot had been about the slavery bill! As Luke's blue eyes conveyed his own surprise to her, the two returned their attention to the conversation below, watching and silent with equal apprehension and alarm.

"I assure you, Vadim," the Boss consoled him impatiently, "You will continue receive protection. The bill will be stopped, and your planet will resume its illegal dealings. I expect to be well paid."

"My employers will ensure that. _If_ we are successful."

"Of _course_," the Boss returned dangerously, his voice dark and alluring. "The pressure turns on you, Vadim. If this attempt does not succeed, your plot will be exposed and your planet condemned. Better not fail this time."

Leia glanced over to the others, and, with a mutual agreement, the five slowly reached for their weapons. And just as the Devaronian had bowed his thanks, the five launched themselves off of the scaffolding and down into the area below. The slap of their firm landings on the pavement sent echoes down the alley. Both the Boss and Vadim snarled in surprise, moving to grasp their weapons, but the five were already upon them.

"You're both under arrest for crimes against the Republic," Anakin informed him, his voice hard and commanding as he ignited his lightsaber with a _snap-hiss_. Beside him, Luke, Jade, and Leia ignited their blades as well. "Drop your weapons."


	38. Finality

Chapter Thirty-Eight: Finality

The glow from the blades filled the space, illuminating the snarl on Vadim's features.

"Jedi," he hissed. His eyes narrowed to slits and his red-tinted skin furrowed into a sneer.

"Drop the weapons, Vadim," Luke told him, pointing his blade at Vadim's neck as the Jedi circled the two like birds of prey. With Luke's blade near his throat, Vadim began to back up slowly with the Boss, though the sneer on his features did not disappear.

"We suggest you cooperate," Anakin growled to them, watching them closely. Vadim's hand was hovering near his belt, frozen there. "Trying to escape would be… unwise."

The tension was almost palpable. Neither side wanted to relinquish control, and though the Boss and Vadim were outnumbered, they were making no moves to surrender their weapons. Anakin prepared himself mentally. He knew that this would end hard.

"You're in over your heads, _Jedi_," threatened the Boss in his deep, smooth voice. As his hood turned, his face was revealed, revealing skin the color of murky purple, the facial horns of an Elomin, and a grisly sneer. Though beside him Vadim was tense, ready to strike, the Boss' features remained calm and dangerous. His appearance was menacing, but it was a different type of dangerous – a _sophisticated _dangerous, of all things, was written on the curve of his brow and the turn of his shoulder. This was a type of man who had wealth and power for weapons. And somehow that made him all the more threatening.

"Drop the weapons," snapped Anakin again.

"Over my dead body, Jedi," snarled Vadim with sudden vehemence.

"Weapons," snapped Jade. "Now." They could all sense it; the Force was suddenly crying out, urging them to-

Suddenly, before anyone had truly realized what was happening, the Boss had whipped out something from his belt. A second later, though it felt like slow motion, Anakin was being lifted in the air and thrown back at the touch of an invisible force. His vision flashed both white and orange as he flew through the air, and he couldn't hear anything until he struck against the steel of the building nearby and crumpled to the pavement.

The Boss must have thrown a small explosive device, because when Anakin leapt to his feet he saw the Boss and Vadim both taking off, heading in opposite directions.

"_E chu ta_!" swore Anakin as he saw they already had a head start. "Luke!" he yelled to his son, who was likewise springing to his feet. "Go after the Boss!"

He didn't wait to see if his son had heard; he was already tearing after Vadim at full speed. He could see the assassin ahead of him, ripping through the alleyways only about fifty meters away. Anakin put on a burst of speed. He was just as fast, and he knew it. He began to use the Force to tear down pieces of the pipe on the alley walls, having them strike the assassin as he fled down the alley. Water from the burst piping began to spray everywhere, splashing from puddles beneath Anakin's thundering boots and clouding his vision.

Vadim had little trouble leaping over the fallen pieces, but they slowed him nonetheless. Anakin was able to clear the fallen pieces easily in his wake, and soon found that he was catching up to the fleeing figure. Adrenaline began to pulse through him with each pounding step. His heart thudded wildly in his chest as he pushed his body to go faster, faster. He would end this, and he would end this _today_.

Then, when he was only about ten meters away, he saw his chance. There was a pipe hanging above the alleyway that was dangling precariously at head-level. If he could tear it off just in time, he might be able to knock Vadim in the head. At this point, he did not care if the blow would potentially kill the assassin. Dead or alive, it didn't matter. What mattered now was stopping him before he could get any further. What mattered now as keeping his family safe.

Stretching his fingers towards for the pipe, Anakin reached toward it with the Force, and, with timing that would have made Obi-Wan proud, tore the thick pipe off just as Vadim was about to pass underneath.

It did not have quite the finality that Anakin had hoped, because Vadim seemed to have anticipated Anakin's move beforehand, but the pipe still ended up striking Vadim in the ear, knocking the Devaronian off of his feet and sending him skidding to the ground.

Anakin was on his tail in a second, and just as Vadim was struggling to rise to his feet, Anakin tackled him and brought him back to the ground. They both grunted as the pavement came at them hard. Anakin felt the air being driven from his lungs.

Before he could make the same mistake of wrestling with the muscular male again, Anakin ignited his lightsaber and sliced off Vadim's left hand, and then his right. The Devaronian screamed in pain, trying to twist away from him, but Anakin forcefully drew the assassin's stumps of arms behind his back, twisting them painfully. He tried not to remember that fateful day on Bespin as Vadim's cries of pain echoed in his head.

"Whom are you working for?" he demanded, putting his mouth right by Vadim's ear. When only hisses of pain answered him, he pulled harder and asked more forcefully, "_Whom_ are you working for?"

"Devaronian authorities," the assassin ground out painfully. "They hired me."

"Why?" Vadim was silent once more, so Anakin pulled roughly on his arms once more, and Vadim cried out in pain. "_Why_?"

"_Aarg_! They- they don't want the…" He sucked air into his lungs abruptly. "Slave Bill passed!"

"Why?"

"…Antal 4's slaves mined secret metals," he gasped. His voice was low and pained, and he gasped between pauses in his words. "They smuggled the metals to Devaron… Devaron used them for infrastructure- _Aack!_" he said in pain. "Devaron agreed not to tell the… Republic if… they continued to trade."

"Where did the slaves come from?" When Vadim was silent once more, hissing. Spit and blood flew from his mouth, but Anakin pushed his face closer to the pavement. "Where did the slaves come from?" he demanded.

"Devaron… bounty hunters provided them with… new slaves."

"It was all about illegal trade routes, then?"

Vadim did not reply to that, though more because Anakin suspected he was too much in pain. Knowing that it would be best if he took care of the assassin now in order to keep him safe for Mothma's people, Anakin abruptly extinguished his blade and hit the assassin in the head, hard, with the hilt of his lightsaber. Vadim was out instantaneously.

Anakin was just climbing off of the still body when Leia came sprinting into sight, followed closely by Han. She stopped short when she saw Anakin climbing off of Vadim's still form. Her eyes widened in shock.

"Is he…?"

"No," Anakin told her, checking the pulse on his red skin. "Unconscious."

"Is that…" started Han, who looked green. His eyes glanced to the dismembered hands. "…His-"

Anakin nodded again, closing his eyes so he didn't have to look at the severed parts. It reminded him too much of Bespin, too much of the time when he had done the same to his son.

Suddenly finding that he was weak in the knees, Anakin bent down slowly and sat against the alley wall. He didn't care that the pavement was gross and slimy. Somehow, his exhaustion had sunk past his pride. He leaned his head against the wall for a moment and closed his eyes. It was over. It was all over. His family was safe. They could go home and be safe.

Luke and Jade came running into view a minute later, and both seemed to be rather taken aback at the sight of Vadim unconscious upon the pavement.

"Is he…?" Luke asked Leia.

Leia shook her head. "Unconscious."

Luke's eyes located the two severed hands upon the pavement. He, like Han, seemed to be slightly pale at the sight of the hands, although Anakin guessed that the uneasiness stemmed more from personal experience than from simple queasiness. "Did you… cut off his hand?" he asked Leia in disbelief, apparently interpreting her sober expression in the wrong way.

"…Father did," Leia told him.

Luke's eyes flickered to Anakin, who met his eye and found he had to look away. Even though he and Luke had forgiven one another, it was something that Anakin knew he would always be ashamed of. It was something they rarely talked about.

"Kid, what about the Boss?" Han asked Luke. He, like the others, seemed to sense the touchiness of dwelling on that topic.

"Dead," Luke told him.

"Dead?" echoed Han.

"Mara cut him in half," explained Luke.

"_Cut him in half_?"

"He was about to drop another explosive," Jade added, her eyes flashing defensively.

"We would have all gone up if she hadn't," Luke told them. Anakin glanced toward him suddenly. What was that emotion he sensed from Luke? Defensiveness? Was that too strong of a word? Perhaps it was his respect for Jade. Respect Anakin was not sure was well deserved.

"Well," Han said, clearing his throat. He obviously seemed to think lowly of Jade's apparent aggression. "That's that, then."

"Mothma's people are on their way," Leia informed them seriously, cutting over her fiancé's sarcastic words. "They'll take in Vadim, and we'll be able to head home."

"What will happen to him?" Jade asked her suddenly, after a beat of silence. Anakin looked sharply at her, her concern startling him. She was not behaving like the Jade he remembered, who would have shrugged off the fate of another with her usual coldness. Anakin frowned at the question, unsure how to interpret it.

"He'll stand trial," Leia answered her. "We have enough proof to arrest him, and if he cooperates, he will have an easier fate."

"What happened, then?" Luke asked, and his eyes turned to Anakin. "Did he talk?"

Anakin tore his suspicious gaze away from Jade and nodded. "Devaron had a secret relationship with Antal 4. Apparently Antal 4 provided them with riches that Devaron needed, and Devaron provided them with new slaves. Although I couldn't get much more out of him than that, I'd assume Antal 4 most likely took a portion of the metals for themselves as well."

Silence accompanied his words, as each tried to come to terms with the truth. "Devaron was involved after all," Leia said softly, shaking her head and looking over at Vadim's still body. Her tone spoke of regret and disbelief. "I can't believe a planet would condone slave labor for the sake of its economy." She gave a small sigh. "Turns out they were even more corrupt than we expected."

"…Well," Han added, deadpan. "I can't say I've ever _liked_ the planet. So no grief there."

Silence settled over the group… and then, as the ridiculousness of Han's statement sunk in, it was suddenly as if the sun had emerged on a rainy day. Brilliant, relieved smiles seemed to cross over everyone's faces, spreading contagiously from one to the next. It was the burden of months of stress being lifted from their shoulders.

"We're done. We got him," Luke said in relief, seeming to scarcely believe it himself – that it was all over, and that all those months of hard work and dead ends had finally paid off. He shook his head in amazement, although the smile could not seem to be wiped from his face.

"Took long enough," complained Han, as Leia, laughing at the lopsided smile spreading across his face, planted a kiss on his cheek.

"You're just happy I won't complain about missing Senate meetings again," she giggled.

Han chuckled at that, and the two soon dissolved into a playful argument about who had had the worse plight over the past months. Anakin, though exhausted and still seated at his place on the pavement, could not help but smile at his their playfulness, remembering what it had been like at their age. Although he knew that their future would bring hard times, as it did with everyone, he only hoped that they would remain as close as they were now. …It was ironic... five years ago he would have never imagined that he would be here. They had come so far.


	39. Something New

Chapter Thirty-Nine: Something New

As they trudged back to the apartment, Luke found that he fell behind his family a little ways, walking side-by-side with Mara. They both walked a bit stiffly; the tension between them was still there, but Luke felt that something had shifted a bit. Maybe it was the slowly budding trust between them. Maybe it was the acknowledgment of one another, the respect each other's contrasting pasts, or the regard of one another's abilities, but Luke found that his anger towards her had all but vanished.

"I will make sure your name is cleared, as I promised," Luke told her.

Mara glanced at him sharply, her eyes scanning at him suspiciously. Finally reading his sincerity, she gave a curt nod.

They fell into silence for a moment, both of them watching the speeders sail above them and the Coruscanti lights shine about them, until it was Mara who spoke again.

"…I know the truth," she told him abruptly.

Luke could not help but start a bit, her words hitting him unexpectedly. "What?"

"I know the truth about your father," she told him. Her green eyes looked at him, filled with something Luke could not identify.

Luke was not sure how to respond. If she told anyone, it would be the end of everything. His parents' lives would be over. Anakin would be arrested, possibly executed. His brother would be devastated, both he and the new baby would grow up in a home without their father. He and Leia would lose what wonderful things that had been built over the past five years. Luke's tension increased as he watched her closely. He disliked the fact that he was not able to read her; her face was turned away, staring at the bustling activity on the Coruscanti horizon with an eerie blankness. Why was she so good at that?

"Your father is Vader, isn't he?" she continued. "Or he was. You turned him from the Dark Side." She was silent for a moment, and her thoughts seemed to trail off silently. "I recognized his force signature. It's different now, but the same in some ways, which is why I didn't recognize him at first." Mara paused again, and then abruptly turned her head to look at him. "I won't tell," she said, suddenly and softly, as if she knew that was what Luke had been suspecting.

Luke looked down, slightly embarrassed that she knew his thoughts but at the same time relieved beyond words. He sensed her sincerity, and it filled him with comfort. "He's happier now," he told her quietly as they continued to walk slowly. "He has a family, and we all have forgiven him. All that's left is that he has to forgive himself."

Mara gave him a funny look that he couldn't identify. Filled with regret? Wistfulness? Bits of envy? She did not reply to that statement, instead saying abruptly, "I suppose we'll see each other again, Skywalker."

Luke nodded. He sort of hoped they wouldn't – it seemed that things were turned upside down whenever she was involved. "Probably."

Mara just shot one last sharp glance at him, and suddenly she turned down another alleyway and was gone.

* * *

Jade forgotten and the happiness returning, the homecoming party was greeted by screeches of happiness when they finally made it back to Padmé and Anakin's apartment complex. They were greeted by an ecstatic Jinn, who rushed forward into Anakin's arms and was smothered by kisses from both his father and his sister. Padmé, apparently hearing the commotion and knowing immediately what was happening, came to greet them a moment later, wearing a wide smile over her face. She seemed to know immediately that they had come home with good news.

Family reunited and all content once more, Han quickly launched into a blow-by-blow account of what had happened as they all made their way slowly to the living space, laughing and talking loudly all the while.

The next day, Mothma's people locked Vadim away. He was imprisoned and tried for his crimes, as well as the leaders of both Antal 4 and Devaron. Mara Jade's name was cleared, as Luke had promised her, and she was vindicated of all blame.

A month later, the slavery bill was passed, outlawing slavery in the Republic once more. Leia was there with the rest of the Provisional Council and all of those who had worked to draft the bill. There was little opposition.

The next two months that passed were relatively quiet. With the slave bill passed, wedding plans finalized, the threat eliminated, and Padmé approaching the end of her third trimester, things slowed down for the Skywalker family. Luke, Leia, and Han visited often. Perhaps it was because they had grown so used to seeing their mother and father almost every day, perhaps it was because of Jinn or Leia's training, or perhaps it was because their relationships had been strengthened throughout the whole ordeal, but neither side seemed willing to fall back to the previous regularity.

"_And_ Luke has a secret beau," Han told both Padmé and Anakin over dinner one night after a day of rigorous training, about a month before the date of the wedding. He winked teasingly at them, and a smirk spread across his lips as Anakin and Padmé's eyes both widened in surprise and they turned to look at Luke. Jinn looked up from his dinner in apparent confusion.

Luke's face turned so abruptly bright red that there was no denying it. He seemed to shrink into his seat. "I do not, Han! Take it back!"

"He sneaks out every night to see her," Han added with a snigger.

Luke stuttered a few moments, in apparent disbelief at how serious Han was making it all sound, before Anakin cut across him. "Who's the lucky girl?" he teased his son with a wink.

"A true lover," Leia giggled.

"Probably someone dashingly beautiful," drawled Han.

"Is she any good?" Leia asked with a twisted smile, sending Luke's face deeper in its shade of red.

"I'm not- we're not-" he protested.

"Not _yet_," Han amended for him.

Luke looked hopelessly from Leia, Han, and Anakin, and, finding no sympathy in them, turned to Padmé, who looked amused as she watched the sparring. "Mother!" he pleaded.

"Luke will tell us when he's ready," Padmé said with a smile, taking mercy on the extremely uncomfortable Luke as she reached over to cut the meat on Jinn's plate. Han just sniggered.

Later that night, when the twins and Han had left the apartment and Padmé was getting ready for bed, Anakin reentered their bedroom.

"Is he asleep?" Padmé asked her husband as she climbed into bed. Jinn had been showing signs of exhaustion ever since the excitement over dinner, and Anakin and Padmé had put him to sleep shortly afterwards.

"Passed out," Anakin answered her, yawning as he made his way to their bed. "That Jedi training does wonders."

Padmé just smiled softly as she lay down on her side.

"I almost felt bad for Luke," Anakin said softly as he climbed in beside her. "Han and Leia are merciless."

"You joined in, as I recall," Padmé pointed out, a playful smile spreading across her face at the look of amusement he shot her.

Anakin lay down besides her, facing her from the opposite pillow. There was a moment of content silence, and then he reached out to touch the bulge under her nightgown. "Perhaps this will be the one," he said. "It's only a matter of time before he finds the one."

"He doesn't need someone else to be happy, Ani," Padmé said softly, placing her hand on his and moving it to the source of kicking.

"But he wants it," Anakin replied gently. "Hopefully he'll be happy with her."

Padmé smiled gently, her eyes flashing with pride and love as the little one they created sent a flurry of kicks to them.

"Any day now, Padmé," Anakin said to her softly, his eyes soft and gentle. "Our child will be here soon."

"Good," she said. "Your baby is doing a number on my bladder."

Anakin chuckled and pressed a kiss to her lips. "_Our_ baby."

Padmé's lips stretched into a smile. She said nothing in return, but captured his lips in a tender, lingering kiss. When they broke off, she moved closer to him and fell asleep in his arms.

Padmé awoke in the middle of the night with sharp pangs in her abdomen. She had experienced practice contractions before, but these ones just felt… different. She knew it was the real thing. After waiting for another, and another, she finally shifted out of Anakin's arms and sat up, trying to switch positions to lessen the pain. Anakin, sensing the movement of the bed, began to shift in his sleep, until his eyes fluttered open.

"Padmé," he rumbled, his voice musky with sleep. "What…?"

"Ani, I think I'm in labor."

There was a beat of silence. "You sure?"

Padmé nodded, feeling relief as the contraction died away.

Anakin was awake immediately and sat up in bed. Though their bedroom was dark, she could see his eyes were wide. "Do we- should we-"

"The baby's not going to come for a few more hours," she told him.

"What do we do?"

"I don't think I'll be able to fall back asleep," Padmé told him, rising and moving towards her closet. "I might as well go check to see if I have everything ready."

Anakin followed her from their bed. "I'll contact Sabé to let her know."

Later in the day, Padmé delivered a healthy girl. Padmé and Anakin named her Arié, and she was welcomed warmly into the family. She was held first by her mother and father, and then by Jinn and the twins, who had flown down to the medcenter as soon as they had gotten the news and were delighted with the arrival of their new sibling.

Anakin, Padmé, and the baby stayed there together for the night, and then the next day, the family went home.


	40. Family Growing

Chapter Forty: Family Growing

"Leia, stop worrying," Padmé insisted as they both gazed at her reflection in the mirror. She placed one last hairpin in her daughter's hair. "You look _beautiful_."

Leia just blushed with nervousness. After hours of preparation, they were finally done. Her dress was a brilliant white, decked with off-the-shoulder sleeves and a lacy neckline. A long veil was swept over her carefully braided and pinned hair.

"Luke?" she asked her brother, who was sitting on a chaise nearby with baby Arié, dressed in his formal robes. She turned around so he could see her dress, smoothing it nervously so it lay flat.

He looked up from the cooing baby in his arms and gave her a genuine smile. "Beautiful. You look lovely, Leia." He had his finger in a deadlock with Arié, who was completely oblivious to the scene before her; her blue eyes were latched onto Luke as if he was her whole world. Of the members of their family, the baby resembled Luke the most, with straight, light wisps and blue eyes, but her wisps were quickly darkening, suggesting that the light colors would not stay for long.

"Your father is waiting in the hall," Padmé told Leia, giving her a peck on the cheek. "We have a few minutes."

Leia let out a breath, nodding. Only a few minutes. A few minutes.

"Here," Padmé said suddenly, taking a small object from her gown. Her soft brown eyes shining with hints of nostalgia, she pressed it into Leia's hands. "It's a charm from Naboo."

Leia turned the small object over in her fingers. It was a clear blue-green stone attached to a short chain.

"Wear it around your wrist, underneath your sleeve," Padmé told her. "It will give you good luck."

Leia smiled and allowed her mother to knot the chain around her wrist.

"Now, remember," Padmé began as she finished tying the chain. She met Leia's eye, fixing her with a serious stare. "The wedding is fun, but night is the best part. Make sure you are prepared, and wear something nice." Behind her, Leia could sense that Luke was shifting in his seat uncomfortably, but Padmé was not finished, "Also, men love it when you take control once in a while. Make sure you try new things. Keep him guessing. That's what makes it interesting."

Leia blushed, but she was even more amused to see a bright red Luke squirming in embarrassment. Padmé and Leia both turned to look at him.

"Are you taking note, Luke?" Leia asked him, giggling nervously.

If possible, he blushed further, but a reluctant smile spread across his features.

Padmé and Leia just laughed at that, but soon the chime of the tower bell signaled the closing of the hour. Leia's smile died from her face, and was replaced by nervousness.

"You'll be _fine,_" Padmé told her. "I'm so proud of you." With that, she gave Leia a final kiss on the cheek, and headed with Luke from the room, taking the baby from Luke's arms. Leia followed behind, and the four met Anakin and Jinn in the hall.

Anakin rose from his seat when he saw them exiting the room.

"Luke and I are heading down," Padmé told Anakin, placing a kiss on his cheek as she passed by. "The Best Man and Mother of the Bride can't be late! Jinn, are you ready?"

At the nodding of the young boy, who was dressed in his best robes, Padmé extended her arm and took him by the hand, leading him, Luke, and Arié down the stairs. As their footsteps faded from ear, Anakin and Leia were soon left alone in the hallway.

"Ready?" he asked her softly, offering her his arm.

Leia bit her lip and nodded. "Nervous." She slipped her arm onto his.

"I was too," he told her. "I know Han is as well."

They were silent then; a quiet peace seemed to settle over the both of them as they slowly made their way down the winding staircase, moving carefully so Leia would not trip. They passed by bouquets of Nabooian and Alderaanian flowers, silver wrapped gifts, and unopened bottles of wine, past the windows looking out to the veranda, and under the sloping archways of the Varykino resort. Nervousness stirred in Leia's belly with each approaching step.

Soon, before she knew it, they were at the entranceway of the veranda, waiting under the archway just out of sight for the guests to finish settling.

"Father…" she began suddenly. She wanted to say something, to tell him something before she went ahead and did this, before her courage could fail her. "…I just wanted to say thank you, for everything. I'm glad you're here… after all that's happened." When he turned to look down at her, she found that her courage flickered for a moment. Here she was, a Princess who had given Senate-wide speeches to representatives all over the galaxy, with her tongue tied in knots. Gathering a breath, she explained, "Five years ago, I could have never imagined things would happen the way they did, but I'm so glad they did. I can't imagine where I would be if not for you, and Mother, Jinn, and the baby. Over the years, I've come to realize how special you all are to me."

A smile spread over Anakin's face. He didn't seem to mind the sentimental words. "I've always been so proud of you, Leia," he told her as he reached for her hand. Leia could see his eyes grow moist. "You're a strong woman - intelligent and loyal. I'm so proud that you're my daughter."

Leia found her own eyes tearing up at her father's words. No. She wouldn't cry- she _couldn't_ cry now. She'd muss her makeup. She let out a shaky breath as she heard the congregation of people stand and the processional begin to play. Then, beaming at her father, she reached to take his arm, and the two walked down the aisle.

* * *

_Hello, just want to shout out a big thank you to all of my readers and reviewers! You all are the best, and you keep me going! Thanks especially to Above the Winter Moonlight, froovygirl, Jedi Master Misty Sman-Esay, QueenNaberrie, and will zona for your frequent (near daily, if not daily) reviews. Much love! You all are fantastic! Thanks also to ShyMaryButterfly, Mo Angel, Bradley Cude, Fireshifter, angie, and Atlasina7, and all others who reviewed to keeping me going and encouraged! _

_If you haven't got a chance, please review this final chapter. I am trying to improve as a writer (that's the purpose of me posting here), and would greatly appreciate any feedback you could give me. Let me know what you thought of the story, and let me know what you thought of my writing. If you don't feel comfortable reviewing, shoot me a PM! I love written feedback. I thrive on it. It's the only reward I get for hours of work. _

_If anyone has any ideas for future stories, please feel free to PM me! If not, feel free to check out my page to explore my other stories or to check up on the progress of future endeavors. Stay tuned; I will be posting another fic in a few days' time!_

_Much love, Sphinx_


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